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President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation on Monday night, exposing the government’s response during the holiday season to the second wave of Covid-19 infections. (Image: Adobe Stock)
Experts weigh in on the measures the government should take to curb the second wave of Covid-19 infections. This comes as President Cyril Ramaphosa prepares to address the nation about possible tightening of regulations as South Africa heads into the year-end recess.
The country may face tougher restrictions during the holiday season as South Africa continues to ride the second wave of coronavirus infections.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation Monday night after a meeting with the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC), the President’s Coordinating Council (PCC) and a special Cabinet session on Sunday.
As of December 12, the country had registered 7,882 new cases, bringing the cumulative total of cases to 852,965.
Amid growing numbers, the Gauteng Health Department said it was making progress in tracking attendees to the Rage matric festival that took place in KwaZulu-Natal in early December. A statement issued by the provincial department on Saturday said 1,322 students from Johannesburg and Tshwane had been identified as having attended the event: 1,050 were tested for Covid-19, of whom 984 tested positive. These students had 340 contacts of which 32 tested positive.
The department pleaded with the matrics and their parents to cooperate with the health workers, where in some cases the students did not cooperate.
“Of the total number of students, 99 were uncooperative, while the rest of the students (173) had provided incorrect contacts or were on voicemail.”
Family contacts of those who tested positive were instructed to be tested and self-quarantined for 14 days.
“Last week there was an increase in the number of positive cases, with young people between the ages of 11 and 20 making up a large percentage of new cases.”
Wits University vaccination professor Shabir Madhi said infections among young people were cause for concern.
“If teenagers get infected at Rage parties, they won’t be hospitalized, they will carry the infections back to the community,” Madhi said.
This increases the risk of people susceptible to being hospitalized or losing their lives.
Madhi advised the government to impose restrictions on mass gatherings in poorly ventilated indoor spaces.
“We are not in a position in South Africa to stop the spread of the virus; it is about trying to control the rate of reinfections that occur. And the biggest contributor to the rapid rate of infections is meetings in poorly ventilated indoor spaces, and that’s what we should avoid at all costs. ”
Professor Glenda Gray, President and CEO of the South African Medical Research Council, advised a tightening of regulations around the sale and consumption of alcohol.
“You don’t want alcohol-related trauma in your hospitals. Healthcare workers are already tired and overworked and must deal with Covid-19 and other medical admissions, ”Gray said.
In mid-November, Level 1 restrictions were slightly relaxed, and alcohol was allowed to be sold at outlets during all authorized business hours. On-site consumption in licensed establishments is permitted outside of midnight until curfew at 4 a.m. M.
He advised linking limitations on alcohol consumption with the continuation of the curfew.
“The overall goal for now is to keep hospital beds open, and the best way to keep hospital beds open is to have curfews because curfews prevent people from driving drunk and causing accidents.”
According to Madhi, an overwhelmed healthcare system will result in additional deaths unrelated to Covid-19.
A statement issued on December 10 by the The South African Liquor Brand Owners Association (Salba) said it would distance itself from potential super-spreading events during the holiday season, which can have crowds that exceed the amounts allowed by regulations.
“Members will not engage in or associate with activities that have the potential to attract crowds that exceed the regulation restricting the 50% capacity of the establishment. The National Disaster Law regulations for level 1 confinement further restrict the number of clients to 250 people in an indoor environment and a maximum of 500 people on one occasion outdoors, ”the statement read.
In targeting access points for stricter restrictions, as is the case with Nelson Mandela BayGray said this was “important”. Apart from the stricter measures, it was essential to mask, test and disseminate readily available information.
“If there was an outbreak in a community, it is important that the community knows and works with the Department of Health to mitigate what happened. ”
However, a tobacco ban may not be in the cards after the government’s decision to ban the sale of cigarettes during the lockdown was declared unconstitutional by the Western Cape Superior Court on Friday. In the case brought against the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma by British American Tobacco and others, it was ruled that the ban did not reduce or “act to reduce” the strain on the health system.
But complacency is the country’s biggest problem. According to Madhi, people do not wear masks, do not adhere to physical distancing, and refrain from attending mass gatherings.
“The only thing that increased restrictions does is that it delays the resurgence. Therefore, it does not eliminate the virus under any circumstances, all it will do is delay the resurgence unless there is a fundamental change in terms of people’s behavior, “said Madhi. DM
