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Of: TT
Published:
Photo: AP / TT
The President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa. Stock Photography.
At midnight on Tuesday night, a temporary ban on the sale of alcohol will be introduced in South Africa. In addition, the use of mouth guards in public areas will be mandatory.
Larger gatherings will not be allowed both indoors and outdoors and the curfew will apply between 9 PM and 6 AM.
These harsh messages were delivered by the country’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, in a televised speech on Monday night, and should be seen in the context that South Africa became the first country on the African continent on Sunday with more than one million confirmed. of covid-19 infected.
Public parks, beaches and swimming pools in so-called “hot spots” will also be closed, the president announced.
Mutated virus version
– We must flatten the curve to protect the capacity of our healthcare system so that we can effectively manage this new wave of infections.
According to Ramaphosa, a new mutated version of the coronavirus has taken hold in South Africa and appears to spread faster and be more contagious than the “normal” virus. However, this is not the fast-moving virus variant that the UK has sounded the alarm about.
In his televised address, Ramaphosa specifically mentioned “super broadcasters and social events” as well as an “extreme lack of vigilance” during the current Christmas season in South Africa.
– We have lowered our guard and unfortunately now we pay the price.
Since the start of the pandemic, more than 41,000 South African health workers have been infected with the coronavirus.
“Excessive alcohol consumption”
The measure to stop the sale of alcohol is directly related to protecting health care so that it is not overwhelmed by the many traumatic events to which “excessive alcohol consumption leads,” says the South African president.
Almost 27,000 people have died from COVID-19 in South Africa since the pandemic began.
– If we do not act now and if we do not act decisively, the number of new infections will be higher than during the first wave. Thousands more people will lose their lives, Ramaphosa said.
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