South Africa to remain on level 4 lockdown as coronavirus continues to spread
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With coronavirus infections on rise, South Africa has decided to continue to remain on Adjusted level 4 lockdown. President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation
South Africa will continue to remain on Adjusted level 4 lockdown as infections remain extremely high in number.
“After consultation with the provinces, Cabinet has decided to maintain the country at Adjusted Alert Level 4 for another 14 days until July 25,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said while addressing the nation on Sunday night.
While Gauteng accounts for more than half of new infections, infections are rapidly increasing in the Western Cape, Limpopo, North West, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, Ramaphosa said.
“Our health system countrywide remains under pressure. By next week, daily hospital admissions across the country are likely to reach the levels observed during the peak of the first two waves,” President cautioned.
Under level 4 lockdown, all social, political, religious and other gatherings remain prohibited. A curfew remains in place from 9 pm to 4 am, and only those with permission to do so may leave their homes during this time.
The sale of alcohol remains prohibited while schools will remain closed until the 26th of July. It remains mandatory to wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth whenever you are in public.
Meanwhile, restaurants and eateries will operate while observing strict health protocols. Certain other venues, such as gyms and fitness centres, may also open.
On vaccines, Ramaphosa said, to date, over 4.2 million people in South Africa have received a vaccine dose, with one million of these having been done over the past seven days.
“The pace of vaccination has more than doubled in the last month, and will continue to increase,” he said.
From July 15, those over 35 years of age will be able to register on the Electronic Vaccination Data System and from August 1, vaccinations for the 35+ group will commence, he said.
According to the latest statistics from the Department of Health, the number of new cases in the last 24 hours stand at 16,302, total deaths reported at 64,289 and total positive cases stand at around 2.19 million.