CAPE TOWN – President Cyril Ramaphosa will address South Africa at 8.30pm on Sunday, his office confirmed.
“The president’s address will follow meetings of the National Coronavirus Command Council, the President’s Co-ordinating Council and Cabinet,” the Presidency said in a tweet.
“As South Africa rolls out its Covid-19 vaccination programme, government and social partners are continuously monitoring Covid-19 infection, treatment and patient recovery rates, as well as compliance with health regulations and other prevention measures.”
President @CyrilRamaphosa will address the nation at 20h30 today, Sunday, 25 July 2021, on developments in the country’s response to the #COVID19 pandemic.
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) July 25, 2021
There was speculation on social media over the weekend that Ramaphosa will relax the lockdown regulations.
On Saturday, South Africa recorded 12 056 new Covid-19 cases and 413 deaths, the Department of Health said. The department said the cumulative number of Covid-19 cases was 2 368 105.
The 413 deaths reported brought the death toll to 69 488. The cumulative number of recoveries stood at 2 147 168, with a recovery rate of 90.7%, the department said.
According to the statistics, South Africa had 151 449 active Covid-19 cases. To date, 6 357 329 vaccines have been administered.
On July 11, Ramaphosa said the regulations would be reviewed in two weeks.
On June 27, Ramaphosa placed the country on an adjusted level 4 lockdown, which included a ban on the sale of alcohol and attendance at religious services.
Speculation is, however, rife that Ramaphosa will relax the restrictions after Acting Minister Health Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane admitted that there has been a significant drop in infections, although she warned against “lowering the guard” against the fight against the pandemic.
“Just because the numbers are coming down does not mean the virus has stopped spreading. The Delta variant is spreading, and it is still just as lethal. This means that our fight should rather intensify,” Kubayi-Ngubane said.
IOL