Covid-19: Ramaphosa to hold high-level meeting ahead of planned announcement on restrictions



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President Cyril Ramaphosa.

President Cyril Ramaphosa.

  • President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to chair the President’s Coordinating Council on Wednesday.
  • This comes ahead of a planned announcement on restrictions to slow the resurgence of Covid-19.
  • Presidential spokesman Tyrone Seale kept quiet about the planned discussions and said the agenda would be approved at the meeting.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to meet with the President’s Coordinating Council (PCC) on Wednesday ahead of a planned announcement on restrictions to curb the resurgence of Covid-19.

“All I can confirm is that the council will meet [on Wednesday]But the agenda will be adopted at the meeting, “Presidential spokesman Tyrone Seale told News24 on Tuesday night.

The PCC includes ministers, prime ministers and the leadership of the South African Association of Local Governments.

SEE | News24 Covid-19 Dashboard – Track Spread, Recovery, and Mortality Stats Here

This followed a virtual meeting of the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) on Tuesday to consider restrictions on the sale and consumption of alcohol in areas across the country considered hotspots.

News24 reported that the NCCC meeting was expected to debate whether it would first impose area-specific restrictions rather than nationwide measures.

Western Cape Prime Minister Alan Winde said in a statement Tuesday that they would argue against imposing a blockade on the province, in favor of specific local interventions based on scientific evidence.

Disastrous

“A lockdown would be disastrous for our economy, it would cause significant job losses and indeed a humanitarian disaster, and it must be avoided at all costs.”

He said the provincial government was considering its own interventions and localized restrictions to slow the spread of the virus in accordance with their respective powers.

“While we are considering our own interventions, the government of the Western Cape intends to involve the president in our position on existing regulations during this meeting tomorrow,” he said.

“This is because all the regulations of the Disaster Management Law are promulgated by the national government and not by the provincial governments.

“During this consultation, the Western Cape will strongly oppose any forceful instrument, such as a blockade, being imposed on the province.

“We must first do everything possible, through our individual and collective action, to ensure that the revival is reversed and to avoid this tool having to be used again.”

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