President Ramaphosa Says the country is to remain on adjusted lock down level 3


By Phumzile Mavimbela

President Ramaphosa addressed the nation on a way forward since his last announcement of the cointry going to an adjusted lock down level 3. He said they had an opportunity to review the measures that were put in place as part of adjusted alert level 3 in light of the current state of the pandemic.

They have also held consultations with religious leaders, community-based organisations, business, labour and representatives of provincial and local government and traditional leadership on the impact of these measures.

Based on the recommendations of the National Coronavirus Command Council, Cabinet has decided to maintain the country on adjusted alert level 3.

Ramaphosa says most of the measures that were announced on 28 December 2020 will therefore remain in place.

Given the risk of widespread transmission, most indoor and outdoor gatherings will not be permitted. This includes social gatherings, religious gatherings, political events, traditional council meetings and gatherings at sports grounds.

As before, this does not include funerals and other limited exceptions as detailed in the regulations, such as restaurants, museums and gyms.

- Funerals may not be attended by more than 50 people, and there needs to be social distancing, hand sanitising and mask wearing.

-    The hours of curfew will now start at 9pm and end earlier, at 5am.

-    It remains compulsory for every person to wear a mask in a public space.

-    The sale of alcohol from retail outlets and the on-site consumption of alcohol is still not be permitted.

Health services in several parts of the country reported that the prohibition of alcohol sales had significantly reduced the number of trauma cases seen in our hospitals over the New Year period.

" It is vital that we continue to protect our health services at this crucial time." 

-    All beaches, dams, lakes, rivers, public parks and public swimming pools in hotspot areas will be closed to the public. As before, botanical gardens, national parks and other parks where access control measures and entry limitations are already in place may remain open to the public.

Ramaphosa said one of the challenges that as the festive season draws to a close is the huge congestion at many of our land border posts.

This has exposed many people to infection as they wait to be processed and it has been difficult to ensure that the health requirements for entry into South Africa are met, with many people arriving without proof of COVID-19 tests.

To reduce congestion and the high risk of transmission, He said Cabinet has decided that the 20 land ports of entry that are currently open will be closed until the 15th of February for general entry and departure.

These include the six busiest border posts, which are Beitbridge, Lebombo, Maseru Bridge, Oshoek, Ficksburg and Kopfontein.

People will be however still be allowed to enter or depart the country for:

-    the transportation of fuel, cargo and goods,
-    emergency medical attention for a life-threatening condition,
-    the return of South African nationals, permanent residents or persons with other valid visas,
-    diplomats,
-    the departure of foreign nationals,
-    daily commuters from neighbouring countries who attend school in South Africa.

The full list of exemptions will be contained in the regulations.

The President said it necessary to keep the Alert Level 3 measures in place until the country  has passed the peak of new infections and we are certain that the rate of transmission has fallen enough to allow us to safely ease the current restrictions.

"I wish to express my appreciation to the religious community in particular for its support and understanding throughout this pandemic." 

Not only have faith-based organisations had to limit or adjust the nature of worship and other activities, they have also provided counselling, support, feeding schemes and other social services to communities.

At a time when people need both material and spiritual comfort, it is indeed unfortunate that the restrictions on religious and other gatherings have to remain.

Research has identified several risks that arise from religious services and other gatherings. These include the risks associated with enclosed spaces, large groups, close proximity to others, staying for a long time in one place, and loud talking and singing.

"We will continue our discussions with religious leaders on how best to safely meet the desire of many our people to worship in congregation while working together to preserve life" 
The Presidentr second   also rolled out the topic on everyone's lips which is the dynamics pertaining to vaccination. He said cabinets plan is to achieve immunity across our population through a massive programme of vaccination.

The development of several effective vaccines is the most significant and most promising advance since the onset of the global pandemic.

He said while the actual level needed for herd immunity is not known, our scientists estimate that we will likely reach herd immunity once around 67 per cent of our population are immune.

This amounts to around 40 million people in South Africa.

Cabinet has put in place a comprehensive vaccination strategy to reach all parts of the country.

Ramaphosa said this will be the largest and most complex logistical undertaking in our country’s history.

It will be far more extensive than our HIV treatment programme or even our national, provincial and local elections in terms of the number of people who have to be reached within a short space of time.

It will require the active involvement of all spheres of government, all sectors of society and all citizens and residents of our country

The first part of thethe strategy is to acquire enough vaccine doses to reach herd immunity.

Government is in the process of procuring vaccines through three channels: through the World Health Organization’s COVAX facility, through the African Union’s vaccine initiative and through direct engagements with vaccine manufacturers.

"As I have reported before, South Africa is part of the global COVAX facility, in which countries pool their resources to support the development of vaccines with a view to ensure that all countries receive an equitable supply of effective vaccines.We will receive vaccine doses for around 10 per cent of our population through COVAX."

The South African government has also been engaging directly with several vaccine manufacturers for over six months.

Given the massive global demand for vaccines and the vastly greater purchasing power of wealthier countries, we are exploring all avenues to get as many vaccine doses as soon as possible.

While there are several promising negotiations with a number of different manufacturers that still need to be concluded, we have to date secured 20 million doses to be delivered mainly in the first half of the year.

Ramaphosa added that they will make further announcements as they conclude negotiations with vaccine manufacturers.

The second part of our strategy is to identify the priority groups that need to be vaccinated as we receive vaccine doses throughout the year.

In Phase 1, with the first batch of vaccines, we will prioritise around 1.2 million front line health workers.

In Phase 2, when more vaccines arrive, we will prioritise essential workers such as teachers, police, municipal workers and other frontline personnel. We will also prioritise people in institutions like old age homes, shelters and prisons, people over 60 years of age and adults with co-morbidities. The total number we plan to reach in this phase is around 16 million people.

In Phase 3, with increased manufacturer supplies, we will then vaccinate the remaining adult population of approximately 22.5 million people.

"We will then have reached around 40 million South Africans, which is considered to approximate herd immunity."

Ramaphosa says the third part of the strategy is to distribute the vaccines throughout the country and to administer them to those who have been identified to receive them.

They have established a national coordinating committee, which brings together key government departments, the private sector and other stakeholders to oversee the implementation of our national strategy.

More so they will administer vaccinations through hospitals, clinics, outreach services and mobile clinics, and private settings such as doctor’s offices, pharmacies and work places.

Article Tags

Cyril Ramaphosa

Covid 19

Covax

Level 3

Cancel

    Most Read