AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER
BUOYED by scientific data that show that the country is over the peak of the COVID-19 third wave, South Africa has eased restrictions, allowing for alcohol sales and public gatherings including those of religious and political nature.
The downgrading of SA from lockdown alert level four to three, was announced by the country’s President Cyril Ramaphosa in a special address to the nation.
Ramaphosa said the decline in the infection made it possible to ease the restrictions.
He announced these new measures:
- Sale of alcohol will be permitted: Monday to Thursday – 10am – 6pm for off-sales and as per licence conditions of restaurants.
- Inteprovincial travel for leisure is allowed.
- Restaurants, bars and fitness centres will be open until 9pm.
- Political, religious gatherings are allowed but the numbers may not exceed 50 indoors or 50% of the capacity of the venue or 150 outside.
- Attendance at funerals must not exceed 50 people.
- School will be open from Monday with strict protocols.
However, Ramaphosa reminded the nation that the worst was not over and that certain restrictions will remain in place. These include:
- Hours of curfew remain: 10pm to 4am.
- Wearing a mask outdoors.
- Social distancing.
- After funeral gatherings – popularly known as “After Tears” – and night vigils.
The President said: “The latest figures suggest that we have largely passed the peak of the third wave of infections, although there are areas in the country where we still need to be concerned because the rates of infection have not yet shown signs of decline. The measures that we put in place for the past 28 days, alongside the continued adherence of South Africans to basic health precautions, have been effective in reducing the rate of infection. The average number of daily new infections over the last week was around 12,000 new cases a day, which represents a 20 per cent drop from the previous week.
“In the last two weeks, the number of new infections in Gauteng – which has been the epicentre of the third wave – has steadily been declining. However, as we have observed before, there are significant differences between provinces. As infections in Gauteng fall, daily new infections in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal continue to rise. There has also been a concerning rise of infections in the Northern Cape after a period of relative stability.
“In all these cases, infections are being driven by the Delta variant, which as we said before is far more transmissible than previous variants. Now, more than ever, we need to adhere to the basic precautions to limit the spread of the virus from one person to another. We know that indoor gatherings, particularly in places that have poor ventilation, are the major cause of outbreaks and super spreader events. We must continue wearing our masks at all times when in public, keep our distance from others and always ensure that windows are open and that there is a flow of fresh air.”
