Ramaphosa orders national lockdown to combat Covid-19
President announces a 21-day lockdown that will virtually shut down the struggling economy
President Cyril Ramaphosa took aggressive action on Monday night to contain SA’s Covid-19 outbreak, announcing a 21-day national lockdown that will virtually bring the struggling economy to a halt.
The shutdown, starting at midnight on Thursday, comes after the number of reported cases rose more than sixfold in just one week and surged past 400.
Acknowledging the effect this will have on people’s livelihoods, the president also announced measures to support small businesses and protect employees.
“It is clear from the development of the disease in other countries and from our own modelling that immediate, swift and extraordinary action is required if we are to prevent a human catastrophe of enormous proportions in our country,” said Ramaphosa, in a speech broadcast on national television.
“Without decisive action, the number of people infected will rapidly increase from a few hundred to tens of thousands, and within a few weeks to hundreds of thousands,” he said.
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