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As the holiday season approaches, it is critical that “we do not become the architects of our own ruin,” says President Cyril Ramaphosa.
In his weekly letter to the public on Monday (November 9), the president said “the utmost vigilance” is required from all citizens to keep the virus at bay.
“A resurgence on any scale will not only drastically reverse our health gains. It will choke out the green shoots of economic recovery that have emerged and take us from spring to winter, ”he said.
“To prevent a second wave of Covid-19 infections, we must observe the public health guidelines that remain in effect.
“When we don’t wear a mask to a social gathering, when we attend crowded events, we don’t just put ourselves and others at risk. We are also jeopardizing our economic recovery. “
Ramaphosa noted the sacrifices made during the initial outbreak to contain the spread of the virus.
“Even though most of the social and economic activity has resumed, we still have to observe all the health measures. This is absolutely necessary if we want to rebuild our economy and leave this crisis behind ”.
While most of the past year has focused on supporting South Africans during the pandemic through a variety of grants and grants, Ramaphosa said the government is focusing on a transition from relief to recovery.
He added that the emergency measures implemented have laid a firm foundation on which to rebuild the economy.
“As our focus now shifts to the implementation of the Economic Recovery and Reconstruction Plan, our priority will be to stimulate growth and create jobs.” The president said that progress has already been made in several areas.
“We are seeing new funding commitments for infrastructure development following a roundtable on infrastructure projects last week.
“Several employment programs have been started under the presidential employment stimulus. We are continuing with economic reforms in areas such as energy and telecommunications.
“Plans are turning into action and commitments are being reflected in jobs and opportunities,” he said.
Briefing this week
The president will brief the nation this week on the country’s strategy around the coronavirus pandemic.
Presiding Minister Jackson Mthembu said last week that the briefing will be based on a cabinet meeting and suggestions provided by the National Coronavirus Command Council.
Mthembu said the Cabinet is concerned that South Africans have become increasingly indifferent in their response to the pandemic and are no longer following lockdown regulations.
“Cabinet is concerned that some people are behaving recklessly and irresponsibly as if Covid-19 no longer exists,” he said.
“The cabinet calls on all people in South Africa to continue to adhere to health protocols of practicing social distancing, wearing masks in public, and washing hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based disinfectant, and avoiding large meetings “.
Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize said that all provinces remain on high alert for a possible resurgence of Covid-19.
He said last week that the country has managed to curb its ‘plateau’ of Covid-19 cases, but warned that there are signs of ‘cluster outbreaks’ and a slight increase in cases in certain hotspot areas.
“The concern we have to take into account is pandemic fatigue in the population, resulting in low adherence to public health measures, ”said Dr. Mkhize.
The Health Minister also warned about the exhaustion and fatigue of the country’s citizens. frontline healthcare workers. “A possible resurgence could be made worse by the previous two factors,” he said. “A delay in obtaining an effective vaccine (Covid-19) also keeps us vulnerable.”
South Africa reported 1,372 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday (Nov. 8), bringing the total reported cases to 737,278.
Deaths have reached 19,809, a daily increase of 20, while recoveries rose to 679,688, leaving the country with a balance of 37,781 active cases.
Read: South Africa’s Recovery Plan Lacks Financing Details – Mbeki
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