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This week, we’re due a President Ramaphosa 8PM address.
We can bet there will be a stern telling off about how many aren’t following basic COVID-19 prevention measures, with Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu saying last week that “cabinet is concerned that some people are behaving recklessly and irresponsibly as if Covid-19 no longer exists”.
It’s unclear what restrictions, if any, Ramaphosa would be looking to reinforce, but, according to Bloomberg, “government is considering reimposing several curbs aimed at containing the coronavirus pandemic as fears mount about a second wave of infections, according to three officials familiar with the situation”.
The option of reintroducing the restrictions is likely to be on the table when the National Coronavirus Command Council meets this week, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the information hasn’t been made public.
Yesterday, the Business for South Africa (B4SA) group asked for “certainty that there will not be another hard economic lockdown (alert levels 3 to 5) in the country in the event of a second wave of COVID-19 infection”.
Notably, the group did not ask for any promises related to alert level 2.
More from the B4SA statement via Briefly:
“Certainty that South Africa will not return to a hard lockdown – irrespective of infection rates – would stimulate economic activity by unlocking business investment projects and consumer spending plans, which are currently on hold due to concerns about government’s response to a potential second wave of infections in South Africa,” the organisation said in a statement.
If we were to return to alert level 2, there is no real set of rules in place, with many of our restrictions changing even as we remained on the same alert level.
Assuming we returned to the last set of restrictions in place under alert level 2, writes Business Insider SA, here are five things that would change:
Foreign tourism would be banned again – including for South Africans
The Level 2 framework bans international air travel for leisure. Still allowed is repatriation flights – including inbound ones for South African citizens, who are always allowed entry into the country if they can reach a border – and “the return of a South African national or permanent resident to his or her place of employment, study or residence, outside the Republic”.
There would be no booze sales on Friday
We’d go back to the Monday to Thursday, 9AM to 5PM rule. Bars and restaurants would still be able to sell liquor on weekends, subject to curfew times.
Curfew would move back from midnight to 10PM
Again, simple. The alert level 3 curfew would be in place from 10PM to 4AM, rather than from midnight to 4AM.
For many restaurants and bars, this would be a real kick in the teeth, as those extra trading hours are vital for survival.
Church services would go back to a maximum of 50 people at a time – and political events would be banned
Faith-based gatherings may run to 250 people indoors and 500 people outdoors under Level 1, as long as social distance is observed.
Rolling back to Level 2 would reduce that maximum to 50 people again, subject to them staying far enough away from one another.
There would also be a reduction in funeral size, dropping from 100 down to 50.
Despite talk of hotspots and different measures being enacted in various parts of the country, under current alert level 2 rules, any restrictions would once again be implemented at a national level, rather than being specific to certain provinces or metros.
As things stand, the Eastern Cape is a worry for many officials, with a resurgence of COVID-19 cases filling hospitals across the province.
eNCA reports that “Nelson Mandela Bay runs out of intensive care bed with close to 5 000 active COVID-19 cases”, and “close to 50% of all new infections were noted in that province”.
Over the past two weeks, the number of COVID-19 cases in Nelson Mandela Bay has increased tenfold:
“When you look at the number of cases you also get worried about the number of deaths that are actually happening and if those deaths become too high then you have to worry,” said Thobile Mbengashe from the Eastern Cape Health Department.
“You also have to look at what is called excess death, those deaths that you probably don’t see in hospitals but are also happening at home.”
South Africa has 740 254 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 19 951 confirmed deaths.
37 109 cases are considered active.
[sources:bloomberg&briefly&businsidersa&enca]
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