Johannesburg - The Democratic Alliance applauded the 21-day lockdown announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday night to combat the spread of Covid-19, calling it the right thing to do in a situation similar to wartime.
Commenting after Ramaphosa's speech, DA leader John Steenhuisen said the measures announced were of critical importance in efforts to combat the spread of Covid-19, which has wreaked havoc in many countries around the world after first emerging in China in December.
"Locking down our country and deploying the SANDF (South African National Defence Force) is something no South African would ever want to see in peacetime, but given the severity of our challenge it is absolutely the right thing to do," he said in a statement.
"The threat of this virus is akin to a wartime situation, and this requires of each of us to make sacrifices in our daily lives, and to some of the liberties of our democratic society."
Three weeks of drastic measures now could save many lives and buy the country critical time for healthcare professionals to deal with the unfolding crisis, he said, warning: "If we don’t make this sacrifice now, we will pay a far greater price in the long run."
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/CyrilRamaphosa?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CyrilRamaphosa's announcement this evening of a nationwide lockdown.
These measures are of critical importance in our efforts to combat the spread of #CoronavirusInSA through communities, and contain possible future infections. 🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/MZxat35jGr
— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA)
He reiterated the DA's support for government efforts against the pandemic and urged Ramaphosa to consider the opposition party's proposals for an economic recovery package to deal with the devastating effect of Covid-19 on households, businesses and jobs.
"We have to put in place, right away, the measures to rebuild our economy and shield employers and employees from the worst damage," Steenhuisen added.
African News Agency/ANA
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