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President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that the government will introduce new restrictions for South Africa before Easter weekend.
In a national address on Tuesday night (March 30), the president said the latest set of restrictions comes a year after the country first entered a lockdown in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Through changes in personal behavior over the past year, South Africans have been able to protect each other and their communities. He added that the country has seen a decline in both hospitalizations and deaths in recent weeks.
However, Ramaphosa said the country was unable to return to normalcy and precautions must once again be taken during the Easter period.
The president said that will lead to an increase in travel such as South African travel for religious and vacation purposes, as well as gatherings.
Following consultations at the national and provincial level, Ramaphosa said the following restrictions would be introduced:
- The sale of alcohol for external consumption on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays is prohibited;
- The sale of alcohol on site in restaurants, shebeens and bars will be allowed until 11:00 pm;
- Religious gatherings will be limited to 250 people indoors and 500 outdoors, subject to use of 50% of the size of the venue;
- Other meetings will also be restricted to 250 people indoors and 500 outdoors. This will be reviewed within 15 days;
- Interprovincial travel is allowed, but should be limited whenever possible;
- Public places of recreation, such as beaches and parks, will remain open, subject to the health protocols that are followed;
- The curfew will remain from 00:00 to 04:00;
- Funerals are limited to two hours and are restricted to 100 people.
Vaccines
Ramaphosa said the country has obtained enough Covid-19 vaccines to vaccinate 40 million South Africans.
“In mid-February, we started Phase 1 of our vaccination program, which involves vaccinating healthcare workers. This phase is on track to be completed in three months.
“To date, more than 250,000 healthcare workers have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as part of the Sisonke trial. We have obtained 11 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which we know is effective against the dominant variants in our country.
“We have obtained 20 million more doses and we are finalizing the agreement with Johnson & Johnson. We are also finalizing an agreement for 20 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which requires two doses. “
“We will make further announcements once these negotiations have concluded.”
While more details of the acquisition are being finalized, the president said the government was confident that the country would meet its vaccination targets.
He said phase two of the country’s vaccination rollout will begin in mid-May, targeting people over 60 and those with comorbidities.
The country will establish more than 2,000 sites as vaccination points, including health centers and retail stores, to help with this implementation. Eligible South Africans will need to register through the government’s online portal to qualify for access.
“We are developing mechanisms to identify and register the undocumented so that they too can be vaccinated. We remain committed to keeping the nation informed about every step of the vaccine implementation process, ”he said.
An electronic vaccination data system has been established to manage the launch of the vaccine and direct people to the vaccination sites closest to where they live. Vaccination registration is scheduled to begin in April.
People will be encouraged to register online, but those without online access will be able to do so in person. Everyone to be vaccinated must be registered in this system first. People will be invited to register once they are eligible, the president said.
Read: Premier warns against level 2 lockdown for South Africa during Easter
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