President Cyril Ramaphosa last night announced new restrictions in a suite of measures he said the Cabinet believed were necessary to protect the health system and to fight the mounting spread of Covid-19 infections.
He announced an immediate re-imposition of the alcohol ban, a new curfew from 9pm to 4am, and the compulsory wearing of masks, with owners of public buildings, and public transport operators, being legally obliged to ensure people wore masks on their premises.
Positive cases rose by 12 058 to a cumulative total of 276 242 (with 134 874 recoveries). Deaths rose by 108 – 64 in Gauteng, 22 in the Eastern Cape, 15 in the Western Cape and 7 in KwaZulu Natal – bringing the total to 4 079.
Reported cases in Gauteng rose to 98 431 (with 32 958 recoveries), followed by the Western Cape (78 399 cases, with 59 070 recoveries), and the Eastern Cape (50 300 cases and 31 586 recoveries).
In a television address to the country last night, Ramaphosa said the lockdown would remain at level 3, but that the new measures were needed because of the strain on the health system.
He said health facilities in numerous provinces were under tremendous strain, and there was a shortfall of at least 12 000 healthcare workers.
Among concessions announced last night, Ramaphosa said auctions could resume, parks would be opened for exercise, though not for gatherings, and taxis on local routes would be permitted to increase their capacity to 100%, with long distance taxis being restricted to 70% occupancy.
Visiting family and other social gatherings were still not permitted.
The Cabinet had agreed to extend the national state of disaster to 15 August.
Ramaphosa said: ‘While the surge in infections has been expected, the force and the speed with which it has progressed has, quite understandably, caused great concern. Many of us are fearful of the danger this presents for ourselves, and for our families.
‘Like the massive cold fronts that sweep into our country from the South Atlantic at this time of year, there are few parts of the country that will remain untouched by the coronavirus. The coronavirus storm is far fiercer and more destructive than any we have known before.
‘It is stretching our resources and our resolve to their limits. The surge of infections that our experts and scientists predicted over 3 months ago has now arrived. It started in the Western Cape and is now underway in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng.’
He said: ‘According to current projections, each of our provinces will reach the peak of infections at different times between the end of July and late September.
‘We are in the midst of a deadly pandemic and we must act accordingly, in line with the prevention measures we continue to communicate. We are all required to be responsible, careful and compassionate.
‘The truth is that we are not helpless in the face of this storm. Scientists and other scenario planners have presented us with models that project that South Africa may have between 40,000 and 50,000 deaths before the end of this year.
‘We must make it our single most important task to prove these projections wrong.’