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President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation at 8 p.m. Thursday night, when he is expected to announce tougher restrictions as the country approaches the holiday season.
His speech follows a special cabinet session that considered the recommendations of the meeting of the national coronavirus command council (NCCC), the presidency said.
Business Day was informed that the health department had recommended to the NCCC, the body created to advise the cabinet on measures to deal with the spread of the pandemic, that the maximum size of indoor meetings be reduced and that it be established an earlier curfew. There was also a recommendation on stricter restrictions on the sale of alcohol.
It is unclear if the new regulations will be implemented across the country, which is currently at level 1 of the risk-adjusted strategy, or only at identified hotspots. Concerns have recently been raised about the resurgence of the virus in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape.
The limited nature of the new restrictions is a sign that the government recognizes the need to act lightly to try to avoid another tough lockdown, as the latest one has resulted in the loss of more than 2 million jobs in the second quarter. .
However, the problem is urgent because large numbers of people are expected to travel between provinces after public schools close, and then again when the holiday season ends, increasing the risk of the epidemic restarting in places where transmission is low today.
The national state of disaster has been extended until December 15. However, the government is expected to extend it for another month.
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