President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Sunday, 28 February, that the country has moved from Coronavirus Alert Level 3 to Alert Level 1, with effect from midnight. He said the decline in coronavirus infections makes it is clear that the country has emerged from the second wave hence the easing of restrictions.
Ramaphosa reminded the nation that this coming Friday will mark exactly one year since the first case of the coronavirus was reported in South Africa. Since then, more than one-and-a-half million people in South Africa have been infected and nearly 50,000 people have been reported to have died from the disease.
Eased restrictions
• Curfew from 12 midnight to 4am.
• Gatherings are permitted, subject to limitations on size, adherence to social distancing and health protocols, including religious, social, political and cultural gatherings. Maximum number of people allowed at gatherings is 100 indoors or 250 outdoors.
• Night vigils/ gatherings before or after funerals not permitted.
• Nightclubs will remain closed.
• Sale of alcohol is permitted, according to normal licence provisions. No alcohol to be sold during curfew.
• The wearing of masks in public places is mandatory. Failure to wear a mask is a criminal offence.
• The 33 land border posts that have been closed will remain closed, while the other 20 will remain open.
• Five airports open for international travel. These are OR Tambo, Cape Town, King Shaka, Kruger Mpumalanga and Lanseria airports.
Vaccine rollout
Ramaphosa said the vaccination programme is progressing well. More than 67,000 health workers have been vaccinated. A new batch of 80,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine arrived in the country on Saturday.
An agreement has been signed with Johnson & Johnson to secure 11 million doses – 2.8 million doses to be delivered in the second quarter and the rest throughout the year. 20 million doses secured from Pfizer, for delivery in the second quarter. 2 million vaccine doses secured from Covax facility.
All provinces have established vaccination sites. The number of sites that will be available for vaccination will be expanded from 17 to 49 sites. Of the 49 sites, 32 will be at public hospitals and 17 sites in private hospitals. This includes sites in rural areas to improve access to rural healthcare workers.
Phase two of the vaccine roll-out will commence in April or May, for the elderly, essential workers, persons living or working in institutional settings and those with co-morbidities. Many more sites will be activated for vaccination in the public and private healthcare sector to reach many people in the shortest possible time.
“As we ease restrictions, we cannot let our guard down. The few remaining restrictions under Alert Level 1 are meant to maintain low levels of infections and to prevent super-spreading events, “ said Ramaphosa.
He said the new variant 501Y.v2 – is now the dominant variant in the country. Because the new variant is transmitted more easily, it has the potential to infect more people, and lead to a greater loss of life. Therefore social distancing, wearing a mask and avoiding crowds is even more important. “Vaccines significantly reduce the likelihood of a person developing symptoms and becoming seriously ill, and they reduce the overall rate of infection in a population. We must do this to restore our country to growth and get people back into work,” said Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa has extended the Special Covid-19 Grant by a further three months, until the end of April, and the UIF’s special Covid-19 wage support benefit has been extended until 15 March, for those sectors of the economy that have not been able to operate.
Ramaphosa said the return to Alert Level 1 means that most of the remaining restrictions on economic activity have been removed. “We expect this to lead to higher consumption spending, bolstered by the steady recovery in employment. We expect businesses to implement the plans they may have put on hold.”
Ramaphosa said the easing of restrictions should not be viewed as a reason to abandon precautions as the threat of a third wave is constantly present, as is the threat of more new variants.
“Our actions as individuals and as a collective will determine whether and how soon we experience a resurgence of the virus. Together with our scientists and experts, we will continue to monitor the situation closely and to adapt our approach in a responsive and flexible manner,” said Ramaphosa.
