SA to move to Level 3 lockdown
South Africa will be moving to Covid-19 alert Level 3 on June 1 but coronavirus hotspots could slip back to more restrictive levels should the virus not respond to government’s targeted interventions.
This was according to President Cyril Ramaphosa in a televised speech on Sunday night.
Watch/read: LIVE ARCHIVE: Lockdown Day 59 – SA to move to Level 3
Over the past week, Ramaphosa held various meetings with cabinet, the National Coronavirus Command Council, social partners at the National Economic Development and Labour Council and other key political and societal stakeholders about the easing of the lockdown restrictions.
In his address, Ramaphosa said while there were areas of difference, the conditions under which the country would ease the lockdown had been broadly accepted by the different groups.
Hotspots
Prior to the consultations,+ Ramaphosa had said that certain districts in the country with a high level of infection and transmission would remain at Level 4 while “most” parts of the country move to Level 3.
However, now that the consultations have been concluded the government has decided to adopt a “differentiated approach” to the identified hotspots where the virus is concentrated and infections are on the rise.
An area is considered a hotspot is it has more than five infected people per 100 000 people and has infections that increase at a rapid rate. The list of hotspot areas will be reviewed on a two-week basis.
Currently, the following metropolitan areas are on the hotspot list:
- Tshwane
- Johannesburg
- Ekurhuleni
- Ethekwini
- Nelson Mandela Bay
- Buffalo City, and
- Cape Town.
Other areas identified as hotspots include the West Coast, Overberg and Cape Winelands district municipalities in the Western Cape. Chris Hani District in the Eastern Cape and iLembe district in KwaZulu-Natal are also on the list.
Read: WC and GP talk about a move to Level 3
Although these areas will see a return to operations in most sectors and the removal of restrictions on people’s movement, they will be placed under “enhanced measures of surveillance, infection control and management”.
Each hotspot will be assigned a full team of health experts that will be supported by Cuban doctors.
“Should it be necessary, any part of the country could be returned to alert levels 4 or 5 if the spread of infection is not contained despite our interventions and there is a risk of our health facilities being overwhelmed,” said Ramaphosa.
The time restrictions on exercise as well as the curfew will be removed from June 1.
‘Strict conditions’
The sale of alcohol for home consumption will be permitted under “strict conditions, on specified days and for limited hours,” said Ramaphosa.
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