South African President Cyril Ramaphosa
Durban – South Africa will enter an adjusted level 3 lockdown from midnight tonight, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday.
We want to minimise the risk of superspreader events, he said.
All indoor and outdoor gatherings will be prohibited with a few exceptions.
The nationwide curfew will be extended from 9pm to 6am, the president said.
Ramaphosa also announced that the sale of alcohol from retail outlets and the on-site consumption of alcohol will not be permitted.
The prohibition on consuming alcohol in public spaces like parks and beaches remains, he said.
From now on it is compulsory for every person to wear a mask in a public space. A person who does not wear a cloth mask covering over the nose and mouth in a public place will be committing an offence, Ramaphosa said.
In just four days from now, we will be ushering in a new year. This is traditionally a time of festivity and celebrating.
Unfortunately, for us here in South Africa and for others around the world, there is little cause for celebration this year.
On Sunday, we passed the mark of more than one million confirmed coronavirus cases in our country.
The number of new coronavirus infections is climbing at an unprecedented rate.
More than 50,000 new cases have been reported since Christmas Eve.
The majority of new cases are emerging in KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape, Gauteng and the Eastern Cape.
IN FULL | Ramaphosa s emotional plea to SA as infections soar 28 December 2020 - 21:03 By TimesLIVE President Cyril Ramaphosa, in an emotional speech, urged citizens to do better in the fight against Covid-19 as SA moves to an adjusted level 3 of the lockdown. Image: GCIS
President Cyril Ramaphosa unveiled tougher lockdown restrictions on Monday evening in response to a second wave of Covid-19 which he described as an “extremely dangerous point in our fight against the pandemic”.
During his speech, he became emotional, imploring South Africans to take the pandemic seriously and change their behaviour.
“The sooner we understand that it could very well be us in that ambulance speeding by, or us in that hospital bed, or us being buried at that funeral, the sooner we come to the reality of what we are facing right now,” he warned.
South Africa: Statement by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Progress in the National Effort to Contain the Covid-19 Pandemic allafrica.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from allafrica.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
READ: Ramaphosa s full speech on new level 3 regulations President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that South Africa will return to level 3 lockdown as the government moves to deal with the second wave of coronavirus infections. FILE: President Cyril Ramaphosa announces a return to level 3 restrictions during an address on 28 December 2020. Picture: @GovernmentZA/Twitter
This is traditionally a time of festivity and celebrating.
Unfortunately, for us here in South Africa and for others around the world, there is little cause for celebration this year.
Yesterday, we passed the mark of more than one million confirmed coronavirus cases in our country.
Nearly 27,000 South Africans are known to have died from COVID-19.