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By Baldwin Ndaba 
12h ago
Johannesburg – The government has banned the distribution and sale of alcohol.
In his speech last night, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that the sale of liquor had caused great trauma in hospitals, saying that “in such a scenario, every piece of medical equipment, every hospital bed, every healthcare worker and each tank of oxygen is necessary to save lives and stop the spread of Covid-19 ”.
According to President Ramaphosa, the level 3 lockdown regulations would remain in effect until January 15, adding that these regulations would be reviewed at a later stage.
The new regulations include a new curfew that will be in effect from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
Restaurants will also close at 8pm every day.
Indoor and outdoor activities have also been banned.
“We introduced a tight level 3 lock with the intention of minimizing the risk of super spreader events and decreasing unsafe interaction. We also want to implement social distancing, the use of masks and hand disinfection, ”said Ramaphosa.
The president further noted that the adjusted Level 3 regulations served to keep the economy afloat.
He said companies, with a few exceptions, can continue to operate as long as all relevant health protocols and social distancing measures are followed.
In addition to regulations, a handful of areas have been declared as hot spots.
In the Eastern Cape, the Chris Hani district, Buffalo City, the Amathole district, the Alfred Nzo district and the OR Tambo district have been declared hot spots.
These, Ramaphosa said, are in addition to the Nelson Mandela Bay subway and the Sarah Baartman district.
In KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, Umgungundlovu district, Ugu district, Harry Gwala district, King Cetshwayo district and Ilembe district have been zoned as hot spots, while in Gauteng, the district of West Rand, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg have now been declared hot spots.
In the Western Cape, the West Coast District, Overberg District, Winelands District, Cape Town, and Central Karoo District are hot spots. This is in addition to the Garden Route district.
In the northwest, the Bojanala district was declared a hot spot and in Limpopo, the Waterberg district and the Capricorn district have been declared coronavirus hot spots.
In his passionate plea, Ramaphosa said: “If we did not understand before, now we should see how quickly a situation can change for the worse. Our situation has changed for the worse ”.
He further said: “We can, we will and we must defeat this pandemic,” adding that this can only be achieved through a collective effort.
The government has also indicated that the acquisition of the Covid-19 vaccine was well advanced.
“South Africa is part of the global joint procurement initiative coordinated by the Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility, commonly known as Covax.
“We can confirm that we have signed the agreement with Covax and that the Solidarity Fund has made the initial payment of R283 million to the facility,” Ramaphosa said.
“This New Year’s Eve will be different than what we have seen before. Each one light a candle in memory of those who have lost their lives, in homage to those on the front lines who work tirelessly to protect us from harm, in gratitude for the great sacrifices that have been made last year and in the confident that next year will bring health, peace and hope to our people. “
Political Bureau
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