Further easing of lockdown restrictions to help South Africa’s battered economy are likely to feature prominently in meetings today of the President’s Coordinating Council (PCC) and the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac).
The virtual meeting of the PCC – which includes ministers, premiers and the South African Local Government Association – is being chaired by President Cyril Ramaphosa, according to a statement from the Presidency.
Acting spokesperson Tyrone Seale said the meeting would dwell on a report from the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) on the country’s response to the pandemic. The meeting with Nedlac was a follow-up to a meeting last month.
Seale said: ‘The social partners – government, business, labour and community – have been meeting over the last few weeks to develop a common approach to rebuilding the economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.’
Last week, Ramaphosa confirmed that the NCCC was considering proposals from several sectors, including the key economic sector of tourism, which has been hamstrung by Covid-19 regulations, particularly the ban on international flights.
Ramamphosa indicated that changes could be announced soon. Speculation is that the country will soon move to lockdown level 1.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday recorded a record one-day rise in the number of new infections, with 307 930 reported over 24 hours. The biggest increases were reported in India (94 372), the United States (45 523 ) and Brazil (43 718).
The last one-day record for new cases was on 6 September when the WHO reported 306 857 new infections.
The WHO said the toll rose by more than 5 500 to a global total to 917 417. Of the more than 28 million confirmed cases, half have been in the Americas.
The BBC reported that countries across Europe were recording a rising number of daily cases amid fears of a resurgence of the virus. Local lockdowns had been imposed in the worst-affected regions.
Other countries that have seen a resurgence of the virus include Peru, Israel, South Korea and Australia.
It was announced that Israel would impose a new nationwide three-week lockdown from Friday. According to the Johns Hopkins University tally, Israel has reported more than 153 000 confirmed infections and 1 108 deaths.
Positive cases in South Africa grew yesterday by 956 to a cumulative total of 650 749 (with 579 289 recoveries). Deaths rose by 52 to 15 499.
The highest tally of cases is in Gauteng (215 307), followed by KwaZulu-Natal (116 513), the Western Cape (108 486) and the Eastern Cape (87 456).