South Africa bans alcohol sales as cases rise to over 1 million

PRESIDENT CYRIL RAMAPHOSA announced a new ban on the sale of alcohol, saying that wearing masks will be mandatory in public after South Africa became the first on the continent to record one million cases of coronavirus.

Ramaphosa justified a series of new measures with a “rapid increase” in infections, most for a new strain of the virus that was feared to be more contagious.

He pointed the finger at “super-spreader” social events and an “extreme lack of vigilance during the holiday period.”

“We have let our guard down and, sadly, we are now paying the price,” the president said during a solemn televised address.

Africa’s worst-hit country previously banned the sale of alcohol in March when it was battling its first wave of infections.

Ramaphosa said the data shows that “binge drinking” leads to an increase in trauma cases reported in hospitals.

Such admissions put “an unnecessary strain on our already overblown public health facilities,” he said, announcing that the new ban would start at midnight.

He said that more than 41,000 healthcare workers have contracted Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.

The curfew in the country will now begin at 9:00 p.m., starting at 11:00 p.m. earlier, while non-essential establishments such as shops, bars and restaurants will close from 8:00 p.m.

All large gatherings, inside or outside, will be banned for the next two weeks, except funerals which will be limited to 50 people.

South Africa surpassed one million registered coronavirus cases on Sunday, while it has recorded nearly 27,000 deaths.

“Unless we act decisively now, the number of new infections will far exceed what we experienced during the first wave and thousands more will lose their lives,” Ramaphosa said.

© – AFP, 2020