South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the crowd gathered at Miki Yili Stadium, ahead of the celebrations for the 25th anniversary of Freedom Day, in Makhanda, Eastern Cape Province, on April 27, 2019.
MICHELE SPATARI | AFP | fake pictures
South Africa has reintroduced a ban on alcohol sales and imposed an overnight curfew as it appears to reduce a rapid increase in new cases of coronavirus.
In a speech to the nation on Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa also announced that the masks are now mandatory in public, as the number of confirmed cases in the country exceeded 276,000. The curfew will take effect between 9 pm and 4 am local time on Monday, with a national state of emergency extended until August 15.
The measure to ban alcohol comes just three weeks after an initial three-month ban was lifted, implemented to curb admissions to the emergency room and domestic violence.
“There is now clear evidence that the resumption of the sale of alcohol has resulted in considerable pressure on hospitals, including trauma and ICU units, due to car accidents, violence and related trauma,” said Ramaphosa.
He noted that the infection rate in the country currently stands at around 12,000 per day, but also said that South Africa has one of the lowest death rates in the world, around 1.5% compared to the global average of around 4.4. %. At least 4,079 South Africans have died as a result of the coronavirus since the pandemic hit the country in March.
The government has made 28,000 additional hospital beds available for Covid-19 patients, but Ramaphosa emphasized that the country still faces a “severe shortage of more than 12,000 health workers, primarily nurses, doctors and physical therapists.”
“The coronavirus storm is much fiercer and more destructive than any we’ve ever known before,” said Ramaphosa. “It is stretching our resources and our determination to its limits.”
Although he praised much of the national effort, Ramaphosa criticized portions of the population that have attended mass gatherings such as parties, funerals or family visits without covering their faces.
“Scientists and other scenario planners have presented us with models that project that South Africa could have between 40,000 and 50,000 deaths by the end of the year,” he said.
“We must make it our most important task to prove that these projections are wrong.”
However, some of the restrictions in force during the period of confinement in the country have been eased. The parks are now open for exercise but not for meetings, while auctions will now be allowed. Local taxis will be able to operate at 100% of their capacity, with long-distance taxis limited to 70% of their capacity, provided that the mask and disinfection protocols are followed. Family visits are still banned for now.
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