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Acting presidential spokesman Tyrone Seale could not immediately confirm this when contacted Wednesday morning. “We usually make announcements before the president addresses the nation,” he said.
A member of the National Coronavirus Command Council said the decision to move the country to Level 1 and allow international travel was backed by Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, who cited declining daily infection rates and the availability of beds in trauma units and quarantine facilities as evidence. that South Africa was ready to open up.
A senior government official familiar with the discussions said the decision to open was based on a risk-based approach.
“We have a very low number of hospital admissions, very low numbers in critical rooms. Our equipment, as fans, is in abundance and the quarantine sites are empty at the moment. We are seeing low admission rates and low infection rates on a daily basis. Less than a thousand people a day contract the virus.
“If there were an increase in Level 1 cases, based on empirical evidence around the world, a second increase is never as great as the first. We have enough equipment and facilities to handle it. “
An NCC source said that while borders and other entry points would be reopened, the government had decided that travelers from high-risk countries would not be allowed to enter South Africa. Among them are the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy, which are key markets for the reactivation of the tourism sector. But arrivals from India and Brazil will be allowed, each with 4.3 million and 5 million infections respectively. “India and Brazil do not present high figures for us.”
Travelers with symptoms should be self-quarantined, even if they show evidence of negative 72 hours before traveling.
TimesLIVE
