CAPE TOWN- President Cyril Ramaphosa says that a second Covid-19 wave of infections will not only dramatically reverse the country's health gains but it also will choke the green shoots of economic recovery that have emerged.
In the President’s weekly newsletter he highlighted that
with the festive season approaching it is important to observe the public health guidelines that remain in place.
"Even as most social and economic activity has resumed, we must still observe all the health measures. This is absolutely necessary if we are to rebuild our economy and put this crisis behind us," he said.
The emergency measures that have been implemented have protected South Africans from the harsh winds of Covid-19 and has laid a firm foundation on which to rebuild our economy, said Ramaphosa.
"Over the course of eight months and with the support of our social partners, we rolled out a comprehensive set of measures to limit the social and economic impact of the pandemic. The additional grants helped to prevent millions of people from falling below the food poverty line. Had we not intervened to secure livelihoods and save businesses, the living conditions of our people and the circumstances of thousands of businesses would have been considerably worse," he said.
"In addition to our existing social grants, which reach more than 17 million people every month, we topped-up the Old Age, Disability and Child Support Grants. We rolled out a Special COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant, which has reached some 6 million people to date. This was done within weeks of the National State of Disaster being declared."
As the country is now in a transition from relief to recovery, Ramaphosa says that the greatest vigilance is required from all to keep the virus at bay.
Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu said the national coronavirus command council (NCCC) are set to convene this week to discuss how it can further manage the spread of Covid-19 in the country.
For LIVE updates on the Coronavirus pandemic, follow us on Twitter :
@sacoronamonitor