Ramaphosa implores SA to follow Covid-19 rules as second wave brings new restrictions
By Quinton Mtyala
Share
Cape Town – President Cyril Ramaphosa implored South Africans to maintain Covid-19 safety protocols, and keep their distance as the second wave of the pandemic surged across the country.
Appearing on TV last night, 11 days after his last appearance, he announced the closing of beaches in the Eastern Cape, along the Garden Route and on some of the busiest days in KwaZulu-Natal.
The Garden Route and Sarah Baartman District Municipality now join the Nelson Mandela Bay as Covid-19 hotspots, with additional restrictions including the sale of alcohol.
First published in the Daily Maverick 168 weekly newspaper.
Ten days after South Africans got the December party started, Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize announced that a second wave of Covid-19 infections was sweeping the country with a worrying rate of infections among young people.
With more than 8,000 new cases confirmed on Thursday, outbreaks in four provinces are driving the current wave of coronavirus infections, with the majority of new cases from the Western Cape (30%), followed by the Eastern Cape (24%), KwaZulu-Natal (23%) and Gauteng (17%).
The National Department of Health (DOH) has set an incidence rate of five per 100,000 people as the measurement for a hotspot. All four provinces had exceeded this rate, Mkhize said. While his announcement was accompanied by strong words of caution, he did not specify further restrictions.
Maverick Citizen’s Coronavirus Daily Digest has changed format to a Coronavirus Weekly Digest. Each Friday the digest will summarise highlights from the previous week’s news about the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has announced that a second wave of infections has hit South Africa. Infection rates are surging in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
Ballito Rage has been labelled a Covid superspreader event while the Joburg, Jeffreys Bay and Plettenberg Bay events have been cancelled. Mkhize sounded the alarm at the weekend that there had been a spike in Covid-19 cases among students attending year-end Rage events in Ballito Bay. He urged all attendees to be quarantined and tested. Among those infected were four Rage staff members.
MEC s message to matrics: stay away from pens down parties capetalk.co.za - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from capetalk.co.za Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Thursday 10 December 2020 - 2:00pm
So what does the second wave of infections mean, as we prepare for the festive season? #eNCA Courtesy #DStv403
JOHANNESBURG - One expert says the second COVID-19 wave is a result of too many South Africans failing to take necessary steps to protect themselves.
Over 6,000 South Africans have tested positive for the virus in the latest reporting period and the death toll keeps rising. When you look at the specific stages of lockdown and you look at levels 2 and 1, there was evidence that we were in control of this COVID-19 outbreak, says Adrian Puren from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases.