As the festive season begins, South Africans will know tonight when President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the country on whether further restrictions will be implemented as Covid-19 cases rise.
The country recorded 4173 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday – a jump from 2 295 cases reported on Tuesday.
Coronavirus cases have been on the rise in some parts of the country – particularly in the Eastern Cape in Nelson Mandela Bay and the Western Cape – with Garden Route area and Cape Town mostly affected.
Ramaphosa's address tonight follows meetings he held with the Coronavirus Command Council and the Cabinet meeting which was expected to confirm recommendations related to curbing the rising infections.
It has been reported that new restrictions could possibly focus on curfews, restricting trading hours for restaurants and bars and also the sale of alcohol. These reports have been unconfirmed.
Health experts had previously warned that South Africa was not in the second wave of the pandemic but was experiencing hotspot outbreaks.
The head of the Covid-19 ministerial advisory committee Professor Salim Abdool Karim said the country was not in a second wave and was not on its way there.
He said he was concerned about the festive season and the possible rise in cases if people started abandoning safety protocols which included mask-wearing and keeping a physical distance.
"My concern is the December period when there are three things that are going to happen that worry me. Firstly that people become complacent while on holiday and they stop wearing their masks and not do social distance and the second thing is they start going to parties and we will end up with super-spreader events.
"The third is I am very worried about inter-generational family gatherings, children are meeting their parents and grandparents and putting the elderly at risk. So those are the three things that I am deeply concerned about over December and those three things could end us up with a second wave in January," he cautioned.
Karim had said how citizens behave will be the ultimate marker for what happens next.
"We have to control our own behaviour if we do not want to be in a second-wave in January," Karim said a week ago.