Johannesburg – South African president Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on Sunday evening on government’s latest response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The President’s address follows meetings in recent days of the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC), the President’s Coordinating Council (PCC) and Cabinet.
Ramaphosa began his address ringing the alarm bell, saying that there has been a rise of Covid-19 infections in the country.
The president said that further restrictions are necessary, to ensure that medical facilities in the country is not overwhelmed.
Ramaphosa said, “According to our health experts, the recent surge in new infections is due to the increasing number of social gatherings where people are not observing essential health protocols
“Other sites of increased transmission are funerals and ‘after tears’ parties, as well as camps and sporting activities at schools. Because rates of infection have been low for some time, and because we are all suffering from pandemic fatigue, we have tended to become complacent.”
Ramaphosa warned, “We have not been as vigilant about wearing our masks all the time, we have not been avoiding crowded places, and we have been socialising more. As a result, infections are surging again.”
Increase in daily cases:
Ramaphosa said that the increase in daily cases is following the same trajectory as it did at the start of the previous two waves.
“We have seen in other countries the tragic consequences of allowing the virus to spread unchecked. The Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 has therefore recommended that the country urgently implement further restrictions to limit the increase in infections.”
“It bases this recommendation on the sustained increase in new cases in the last 14 days, increased hospital admissions in almost all provinces and an increase in the proportion of COVID tests that are positive.”
“Further restrictions are necessary to ensure that health facilities are not overwhelmed and that lives that could be saved are not lost. Delaying the spread of the virus is especially important now to allow as many people as possible to be vaccinated before the third wave peaks.”
Restrictions:
Ramaphosa said on the proposed restrictions, “These recommendations have been discussed at the National Coronavirus Command Council and, earlier today, with Premiers, mayors and traditional leaders in the President’s Coordinating Council.”
- Based on these discussions, Cabinet has therefore decided that the country will be placed on Adjusted Alert Level 2 with effect from tomorrow. This means that: – The hours of curfew will start at 11pm and end at 4am.
- All gatherings will be limited to a maximum of 100 people indoors and 250 people outdoors. Where the venue is too small to accommodate these numbers with appropriate social distancing, then no more than 50 per cent of the capacity of the venue may be used.
- Non-essential establishments like restaurants, bars and fitness centres will need to close by 10pm. This is to allow their employees and patrons to travel home before the start of the curfew.
- It remains mandatory for every person to wear a face mask that covers their nose and mouth at all times when in public spaces. It is a criminal offence not to do so.
- This includes religious services, political events and social gatherings, as well as restaurants, bars, taverns and similar places. Several important measures remain in place.
Ramaphosa went on to say, “The owners and managers of public buildings, centres, shops, restaurants, taxis and buses all have a responsibility to ensure that people on their premises or in their vehicles wear masks, and that the appropriate social distancing measures are in place.”
“If you test positive for COVID-19, you must self-isolate at home for a period of 10 days from when you first developed symptoms.”
Ramaphosa further said, “If you have been in contact with a person who has COVID-19, you must also self-quarantine for a period of 10 days following your exposure, even if you do not show any symptoms. Identifying and isolating all contacts of a positive case is our best mechanism to prevent the virus from spreading further, and so it is very important that we all obey the rules for isolation and quarantine.”
“Funerals remain restricted to no more than 100 people, and, as before, night vigils, after- funeral gatherings and ‘after-tears’ gatherings are not allowed,” Ramaphosa further added.
Third wave:
On the third wave that the country currently faces, Ramaphosa, said, “While the country is headed towards a third wave of infections, we do not yet know how severe this wave will be or for how long it will last.”
“According to the scientists that advise government, the severity of this third wave will largely be determined by the amount of contact each of us has with other people. This means that each of us needs to think about all the people we come into contact with each day and do everything we can to limit those contacts. Sometimes it is unavoidable to be in contact with other people, such as at work or when shopping or in public transport. In such cases, it is important that we strictly observe all the health protocols by wearing a mask, keeping our distance from others and ensuring proper ventilation. But wherever possible, we should cut down on our contacts during this time.”
“That may mean postponing social engagements, avoiding public spaces and not travelling unless absolutely necessary.”
Ramaphosa went on to add that gatherings are the greatest sources of transmission, whether its weddings, funerals, social parties, religious services, political meetings or simply gatherings of family and friends.
“We must remember that the virus does not move from place to place by itself; it relies on the movement of people. The less we travel, the less the virus is spread.”
“It is especially important to avoid indoor spaces, as the coronavirus is spread through the air when a person speaks, coughs or sneezes. If you need to meet someone, including a member of your family, it is safer to do so outside in a well-ventilated space. Those who are at particular risk, including the elderly and those with comorbidities, should exercise caution and should limit their contacts as much as possible. If each of us makes this effort now, we will help to flatten the curve of infections. We will reduce the pressure on our hospitals, and, in doing so, we will save many lives. As we continue to focus on reducing transmission of the virus through our behaviour, we have embarked on the biggest mass vaccination programme in our country’s history,” Ramaphosa said.
Vaccines:
On vaccinnes, Ramaphosa said, “Two weeks ago, we started the second phase of the vaccination programme, targeting the balance of our health workers who had not yet been vaccinated during the first phase and all those in the country who are over 60 years of age.”
Watch:
Two weeks ago, we started the second phase of the vaccination programme, targeting the balance of our health workers who had not yet been vaccinated during the first phase and all those in the country who are over 60 years of age.https://t.co/ssZjTuh6zz
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) May 30, 2021
The president said that this followed the first phase of the programme, in which nearly 480,000 health workers were vaccinated. He added that more than 67% of public health workers have been vaccinated.
“Over the last two weeks, over 480,000 people have received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine as part of the public vaccination campaign. Because the Pfizer vaccine requires two doses to provide maximum immunity, these people will need to have second dose 42 days after their first dose. In total, over 960,000 people in South Africa have received one vaccine dose.”
One million vaccines
Within the next few days, we will have administered vaccine doses to more than one million of the most vulnerable South Africans.https://t.co/ssZjTuh6zz
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) May 30, 2021
Vaccine registration
The Electronic Vaccine Data System forms the backbone of the programme to manage registration and the allocation of vaccines.
The system links people who have registered to a vaccination site near them.https://t.co/ssZjTuh6zz— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) May 30, 2021
“The system enables the national team to monitor vaccine use and to deploy vaccines to where they are needed. Registration and vaccination of those over 60 years is going well,” Ramaphosa added.
We now have over 3 million people registered on the Electronic Vaccine Data System.https://t.co/ssZjTuh6zz
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) May 30, 2021
Since this is the first time this system is being used, it is understandable that there have been some initial problems, which have inconvenienced people and sometimes caused delays.https://t.co/ssZjTuh6zz
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) May 30, 2021
How to register:
By sending the word “register” via WhatsApp to 0600 123 456
– By calling the national toll-free call centre on 0800 029 999, where somebody will help you to register and answer any questions about the vaccination rollout— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) May 30, 2021
There are four ways that you can register to receive your COVID-19 vaccine:
– By using the online registration platform available on the SA Coronavirus website
– By dialling *134*832# and registering via USSDhttps://t.co/ssZjTuh6zz— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) May 30, 2021
More vaccines:
We are continuing discussions with other vaccine manufacturers so that we are able to include different vaccines in our programme.
Some of these manufacturers are in the process of seeking the necessary approvals from our health products authority. https://t.co/ssZjTuh6zz— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) May 30, 2021
“The mass vaccination campaign is a joint effort with all our partners. There are now more than 400 vaccination sites in operation across the country in both the public and private sectors. We are waiting for these issues to be resolved before the first batch of Johnson & Johnson vaccines can be released from the facility in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape. he scheduled delivery of the Johnson & Johnson vaccines has however been delayed due to regulatory issues related to lack of adherence to proper standards at a manufacturing plant in the United States. As we have previously reported, we have secured enough vaccines to reach all adults in the country, which is around 40 million people,” Ramaphosa further said.
While this is a challenge that has affected the supply of vaccines for many countries and not just in our country, we are in constant contact with the relevant authorities to ensure that our doses can be released as soon as possible.https://t.co/ssZjTuh6zz
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) May 30, 2021
Ramaphosa said, “Around 1.3 million Pfizer doses have already been distributed and nearly 500,000 administered. The next 636,000 doses arrive tonight with weekly deliveries of an equivalent volume until end June, when we will receive 2.5 million doses. would like to thank all of our social partners, including the private sector, labour, community organisations, religious groups and traditional leaders, for coming up with innovative ways to support this drive.”
Africa to create own vaccines:
As the African continent we are pushing ahead with efforts to expand our vaccine manufacturing capacity with a view to be self-sufficient in vaccine production.https://t.co/ssZjTuh6zz
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) May 30, 2021
We are also part of the global effort to ensure that all countries have access to sufficient vaccines as a matter of urgency.https://t.co/ssZjTuh6zz
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) May 30, 2021
We are continuing to urge all countries to support a waiver of the TRIPS agreement at the World Trade Organisation so that COVID-19 vaccines and treatments can be produced on a greater scale, at lower cost and at a faster pace.https://t.co/ssZjTuh6zz
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) May 30, 2021
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