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Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
- The Covid-19 national state of disaster has been extended for another month.
- This gives the government additional powers if necessary to direct resources and manpower to help those in need.
- The district attorney previously rejected the nation’s state of disaster and lockdown, saying it caused serious damage to the economy.
The national state of disaster declared due to the Covid-19 pandemic will be extended for another month to prevent a second wave of infections, the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, said on Wednesday.
“The cabinet has decided to further extend the National State of Disaster for a month. This period will allow the government a progressive and responsible return to normalcy. It will help us implement measures to avoid a second wave of infections,” he said in a tweet.
The state of disaster was scheduled to end on Thursday, and the government had not previously said whether it would be extended.
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Covid-19 as of Tuesday night has claimed 18,028 lives in South Africa, with a total of 694,537 cases registered and a recovery rate of 90%.
The first state of disaster was declared on March 15 when President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the country’s response to the global pandemic.
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