Johannesburg – President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday night sent a stern warning to South Africans to behave, or he would be forced to make swift changes should the country’s coronavirus situation worsen.
Ramaphosa said all members of the National Coronavirus Command Council would be on standby throughout the festive season – and they would be called upon and expected to be ready to get to work should he come calling.
The president also expressed concern at the rising Covid-19 cases in the country, with positive infections since March hitting 866 127 as of Monday night.
Ramaphosa urged South Africans to continue wearing masks, washing their hands and practising social distancing to curb the spread of the virus.
He said there was no doubt the country had entered a second wave. The average number of daily deaths had in the past week climbed to more than 150 from 100 and the daily cases average had jumped to 6 600 per day from 3 800.
Here are some highlights from Ramaphosa’s announcement:
BEACHES
All Eastern Cape and Garden Route beaches will be closed during the festive season.
In KZN, all beaches will be closed on December 16, 25, 26, 31 and January 1, 2 and 3.
All festivals, live music, live performances and events are prohibited at the beach.
In the Western Cape (with the exception of the Garden Route) and the Northern Cape, beaches and public parks are to remain open.
CURFEW
Ramaphosa said the curfew would now be from 11pm to 4am. Bars and restaurants and other non-essential services would be expected to shut down at 10pm to allow employees to travel and arrive home before 11pm.
ALCOHOL and PARTIES
Ramaphosa said gatherings and events were a large source of the new infections which were being seen in South Africa. He said venues were often overcrowded, poorly ventilated and safety protocols such as the use of hand sanitiser, social distancing and mask wearing were poorly adhered to.
Alcohol retail outlets may operate between 10am to 6pm, Monday to Thursday.
Wine farms are allowed to sell alcohol for off-site consumption at weekends.
Bars and restaurants to close at 10pm.
FUNERALS
Ramaphosa also announced that ‘after tears’ – post-funeral parties – were prohibited.
TRAVEL
No restrictions have been imposed on interprovincial or international travel, but the president has urged drivers to ensure all passengers wear masks at all times. He also called on people to limit unnecessary travel.
NEW HOTSPOTS
Ramaphosa declared two new hotspots, the Sarah Bartman District Municipality and the Garden Route in the Western Cape. This follows the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro being declared the first Covid-19 hotspot a fortnight ago.
PRESIDENT’S WARNING
Ramaphosa has appealed to all South Africans to take the coronavirus seriously and has sounded a warning to all.
“This is a trying situation for all of us. I have directed all National Coronavirus Command Council members to be on standby for monitoring throughout the festive season; they are on light leave, they may need to have consultation and meetings.
“If they are needed, they will be able to meet with immediate effect should the situation deteriorate and further action will be taken,” he said.
IOL