South Africa will move up to adjusted Level 4 of lockdown from midnight tonight for 14 days.
The country is now fully into the third wave of Covid-19 and the rapid transmission of the highly contagious Delta variant meant more people are getting infected faster, president Cyril Ramaphosa said as he addressed the nation on Sunday evening.
This as the country recorded over 15 000 infections and 122 Covid-related deaths today.
To this end, the cabinet has decided that stricter measures are necessary in an attempt to contain the spread and ease the pressure off hospitals.
“What we are seeing is that the existing containment measures in place are not enough to cope with the speed and the scale of the infections we are experiencing under this third wave,” Ramaphosa said.
“Cabinet has decided that the country should move to adjusted alert Level 4.”
The following measures will take effect from midnight:
- Alcohol sales is completely banned
- Curfew will be in place from 9pm to 4am and non-essential establishments will have to close at 8pm
- Restaurants can only sell food for take-away and delivery
- The school holidays have been brought forward and will start on Wednesday, 30 June
- All mass gatherings - indoors and outdoors - are prohibited
- Funerals are allowed a maximum of 50 attendees
- Beaches and parks will remain open but no gatherings are allowed there
- Employers are urged to allow staff to work from home where possible
- All leisure travel to and from Gauteng is prohibited
The president urged people to register for the vaccine – by Whatsapping “register” to 0600 123456 – and refrain from spreading disinformation.
“We are in the grip of a devastating wave, that by all indications seems –like it will be worse than those that have preceded it,” he said.