Johannesburg - The National Coronavirus Command Council is set to continue its extensive consultations with various provinces and stakeholders ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa's much-anticipated address in the wake of a spike in Covid-19 infections countrywide.
Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Tyrone Seale could not confirm the exact date of Ramaphosa's impending address, but GCIS director-general Phumla Williams last night confirmed that the NCCC had met and is yet to wrap up its meetings.
“Once the NCCC concludes its meetings it consults with provinces before a report is sent to the president who in turn will engage the country on pertinent matters,” Williams said.
She too could not confirm the date on which Ramaphosa will hold the family meeting once again following his announcement of amended lockdown regulations on December 14 amid the country entering a second wave.
Since then, the country has recorded a considerable number of Covid-19 infections with figures showing up to 11 552 newly recorded cases as of yesterday and a total of 994 911 cases countrywide ‒ just below the one million mark.
In the total number of cases recorded as of December 26, Gauteng leads the pack with 272 504 cases followed by the Western Cape with 194 174, KwaZulu-Natal with 180 250 and the Eastern Cape with 165 988 cases.
But there have also been concerns by some organisations regarding the impact another hard lockdown would have on their businesses.
This includes those in the liquor industry.
The industry has been rapped over the knuckles over non-compliance of some liquor traders with some healthcare facilities recording a high number of alcohol-related cases.
But the Liquor Traders’ Formation (LFT) said not everyone in the liquor sector has been non-compliant.
Its convenor Lucky Ntimane said they had reached out to the government over the matter but cautioned the government that it needed to consult with all stakeholders before it contemplates imposing a total ban on alcohol sales.
Among some of the pressing matters that Ramaphosa is expected to deal with in his impending address is the government’s action plan on border control as well as restrictions on the number of people at public gatherings.
Political Bureau