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President Ramaphosa. (Photo: GCIS)
- Tighter lockdown measures have been imposed on residents in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro as new Covid-19 infections rise.
- The other two coronavirus hot spots, the Sarah Baartman district and the Garden Route, remain exempted from stricter measures, for now.
- President Cyril Ramaphosa urged South Africans to continue wearing masks, washing their hands and applying physical distancing as new infections emerge for the first time since mid-August.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Metro will face tighter lockdown measures as South Africa prepares for a resurgence of new Covid-19 infections, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Thursday night.
At the same time, he urged South Africans not to travel on vacation if they can avoid it.
The metro is the only one of the three declared Covid-19 access points to face these restrictions. The government, for the first time, decided to apply the differentiated approach that it announced right at the beginning of the pandemic, targeting the tipping points and allowing the economy in the rest of the country to remain open.
The Sarah Baartman district surrounding the subway, as well as the adjacent Garden Route, have seen a resurgence of infections, but will not face a tighter lockdown, for now.
Ramaphosa’s announcement came after extensive consultations with prime ministers, metro mayors and traditional leaders, and a meeting of the National Coronavirus Command Council on Wednesday.
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Nelson Mandela Bay Metro residents will face a curfew from 10:00 PM to 04:00 AM, and meeting size restrictions will apply, a maximum of 100 people for indoor venues and 250 outdoor.
Stores will only be able to sell alcoholic beverages from 10:00 to 18:00 from Monday to Thursday, while drinking is not allowed in public spaces, such as beaches and parks.
The initiation schools, which for the first time were allowed to reopen with strict health protocols, will not yet be allowed on the metro. “After the tears” at funerals, traditionally the social gathering after a funeral, is also prohibited.
Ramaphosa stressed that these measures “are not intended to punish … the residents” or increase their hardships.
“These measures are necessary to contain the spread of the virus and save lives,” he said.
Ramaphosa said that a hotspot is determined by taking into account “the number of new Covid-19 cases per day, the rate of testing within the population, the percentage positivity rate within the population, the number of active cases, the number of of hospital admissions and the number of deaths “.
State of disaster
He extended the state of disaster until January 15 and said the rest of the country would remain under Level 1 lockdown restrictions, which include physical distancing and the use of masks in public spaces.
Ramaphosa emphasized the importance of keeping the economy open and forging ahead with the country’s reconstruction and recovery effort after the initial blockade, which began in March.
However, he put a brake on vacation plans by urging South Africans to remain vigilant and avoid unnecessary trips and large social gatherings, as these carry great risks.
“The summer season is traditionally a time for social gatherings, attending festivals and events, and socializing at weddings, religious gatherings, and in public and private spaces,” he said.
“These social gatherings can be ‘super spread’ events that carry a high risk of virus transmission.”
Family gatherings should be kept small, outdoors or in well-ventilated places, with physical distancing and the use of masks as much as possible, he said.
“We must remember that, as much as we want to relax, this virus does not take a vacation.”
We cannot go back to the darkest days of June and July, when the transmission of the virus was widespread and the lives of our family and friends were at risk.
Just as we know that a second wave is possible, we also know that it is not inevitable.
– Cyril Ramaphosa ???? #StaySafe (@CyrilRamaphosa) December 3, 2020
He repeatedly warned that more people would become infected and die if Covid-19 health measures are not followed.
Since mid-August, the rate of new infections has been stable, below the 2,000 new cases reported per day, but in the past three weeks this has changed, Ramaphosa said.
On Wednesday, there were 4,400 new infections in the country, the highest number since mid-August, he said.
“The total number of hospital admissions is now more than 5,800 nationally and is increasing.”
Ramaphosa said the death toll from the pandemic had been high so far, with a total of 800,872 confirmed infections and 21,803 deaths attributed to Covid-19. The recovery rate is 92%.
He compared the pandemic to a wildfire and said the outbreaks had to be extinguished quickly before they turned into hell.
“We must change our behavior now to prevent a resurgence of the virus and manage outbreaks wherever they occur,” he said.
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