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President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to announce strict new lockdown restrictions on South Africa as a way to curb the country’s second wave of coronavirus.
A member of the Ramaphosa executive told the City press that the entire country is unlikely to return to a hard lockdown like the one experienced earlier this year.
Instead, higher restrictions will be put in place at a localized level in the country’s coronavirus hot spot areas. Additional restrictions being considered include:
- Tighter curfew times;
- Earliest closing times for restaurants;
- Other limitations on gatherings like funerals
- New rules on the beaches.
A virtual cabinet meeting is scheduled for Sunday (December 13), after which a public announcement will be made, the source said.
South Africa reported 7,882 new cases on Saturday, taking the cumulative total of Covid-19 cases in the country for 852,965. The country reported 154 more deaths, bringing the total to 23,106, while rethe covers are now on 760,118.
It follows more than 8,000 new cases on Friday.
During his previous national address, Ramaphosa identified three areas in South Africa that were of particular concern due to a sharp increase in the number of new infections:
- Nelson Mandela Bay (CE);
- The Route of the Gardens (WC); and
- Sarah Baartman District (CE).
Beaches
One of the key debates facing the Ramaphosa task force is closing or limiting access to beaches, as they are seen as areas that could lead to superprocessor events.
On Friday (December 11), KwaZulu-Natal Prime Minister Sihle Zikalala said no decision they had been taken to close beaches in the province; however, he confirmed that all major events would be prohibited.
“The beaches will not be closed for now, that is the decision we have made (as a province). If it’s pushing, we might be forced to close (the beaches) for swimming, but allow people to be in and around the beach for pleasure. “
Zikalala explained that this eventuality could arise when people are forced to remove their masks for swimming, but not for other activities.
While open spaces like beaches are considered largely safe from coronavirus transmission, the prime minister said he was concerned about overcrowding on specific days.
These days include:
- December 16: Day of Reconciliation and public holiday;
- December 26: Goodwill day and public holiday;
- December 31 – New Years Eve.
Zikalala said any decision on the restrictions will be made by President Cyril Ramaphosa, based on presentations made by his provincial government.
“That is why we are saying that there is no such decision (by the national government to close beaches), since the president has not made any decision.”
Curb alcohol
Meanwhile, South Africa’s leading alcoholic beverage producers and distributors are struggling to convince the government not to impose a third ban on alcoholic beverage sales to contain the coronavirus, even as the country is experiencing a resurgence of infections, Bloomberg reported. .
The industry, he said, has made a precautionary move to withdraw support for major entertainment events during the holiday season, showing its willingness to discourage large gatherings and reduce the burden on hospitals caused by accidents.
That costs the industry revenue, but is considered better than facing another shutdown.
“If we have an outright ban, we all know the consequences of that,” Richard Rushton, chief executive of the wine and spirits manufacturer Distell Group Holdings, said in an interview.
“It’s going to create economic devastation, no taxes will be collected, and people will continue to gather and do it underground.”
Distell lost 100 million liters in sales volumes and R4.3 billion ($ 284 million) in revenue in the year through June as a result of the initial lockdown restrictions.
The ban on the sale of alcohol has suspended investment projects worth at least 12.8 billion rand and the South African government lost billions of rand in taxes, according to data from the National Treasury.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize specified this week that young people drinking alcohol at social events was one of the causes of the virus’ resurgence. Since the first shutdown, the industry has worked on reevaluating social programs, focusing on issues like drunk driving and underage drinking, Rushton said.
“The announcement that we will not support any large-scale events is one more demonstration of the intention to say, look, nobody wins from the spread of the virus,” Rushton said. “Our industry was devastated as a result of the first closures.”
Read: Can South Africans be forced to receive a Covid-19 vaccine before starting work?
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