President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on the ongoing measures to manage the spread of COVID-19 on Wednesday.
The president said he hoped that most of the country will move to a Level 3 alert by the end of May, a further easing of restrictions aimed to prevent and slow the spread of COVID-19.
Ramaphosa opened his address by sharing condolences for the 219 people who have died of COVID-19 related complications.
“Without the lockdown, the number of coronavirus infections would have soared uncontrollably, our health facilities would have been overwhelmed and many thousands more South Africans would have died,” he said.
“Evidence shows us that imposing a nationwide lockdown provided our country with valuable time to prepare our health system and helped to slow the rate of COVID-19 transmission. This vital advantage must now be sustained,” the president said.
Evidence shows us that imposing a nation-wide lockdown provided our country with valuable time to prepare our health system & helped to slow the rate of Covid-19 transmission. This vital advantage must now be sustained. pic.twitter.com/J1mdDndhpc
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) May 13, 2020
There is clear evidence that the lockdown has allowed us to achieve our objective of delaying the spread of Covid-19 & avoiding a massive surge in infections that would have overwhelmed our health care system. pic.twitter.com/NOgWKVw5Zs
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) May 13, 2020
Easing the lockdown must be done with extreme caution to prevent the spikes in COVID-19 infections we have seen elsewhere in the world. Government’s differentiated approach will allow economic activity to resume while protecting public health. pic.twitter.com/GuiebCtwzu
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) May 13, 2020
The Covid-19 Loan Guarantee Scheme will provide access to much-needed financial assistance for small businesses that have been hit hard by this crisis. pic.twitter.com/nNg9ENLRTH
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) May 13, 2020
The president also announced the progress of a number of social and economic relief packages including the special COVID-19 relief scheme that has paid out over R11-billion.
Ramaphosa stated temporary economic measures will be in place for six months.
“We will spare no effort to ensure our most vulnerable citizens are supported and protected during this difficult time,” he said.
The president announced a process of consultation with provinces to lift Level 4 restrictions to Level 3 by the end of May for the majority of the country.
Ramaphosa emphasised that restrictions will be eased selectively depending on the province’s rate of infection and the state of readiness and the capacity of its health facilities to cope with treating infected people.
He said, “our goal is to steadily increase economic activity while putting measures in place to reduce the transmission of the virus and provide adequate care for those who become infected and need treatment.”
The president said the government’s differentiated approach will allow economic activity to resume while protecting public health.
“As restrictions are eased, we will need to observe social distancing even more carefully, wear face masks whenever we leave home, wash hands regularly with soap and water or sanitiser, and avoid contact with other people.”
Ramaphosa acknowledged the failures of the national government in their response to the unprecedented global pandemic and stated the government’s commitment to handling the crisis as best as possible.
“This evening, I want to reaffirm my commitment and the commitment of the government I lead to take whatever action is necessary to safeguard the life, the dignity and the interests of the South African people,” Ramaphosa said.
– Coronavirus Hotline Number: 0800 029 999 from 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.
Help protect your loved ones by sharing this official South African government COVID-19 service with your family, friends and community.
Send HI to 0600 123 456 on WhatsApp.
The NICD has another Clinician Hotline to improve #COVID19 communication and support for healthcare providers. The Clinician Hotline is 0800 11 1131, operating 24 hrs. The Public Hotline is 0800 029 999 also operating 24hrs.
In other news – Video of Reality TV star Inno Matijane k!ssing & t0uching another Man causes chaos – Watch
The video has since received a lot of mixed reactions, people sharing their thoughts on what can been the two men doing in the video. Reality TV star Inno Matijane has caused a stir on social media.
This after he posted a video, in which he is f0ndling and kissing MJ, who also stars in his MojaLove reality show The Way Ngingakhona. The video, which was posted on Twitter, sparked a conversation in the comment section, with some Tweeps observing how MJ was not reciprocating. continue reading
Source: eNCA
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