UPDATE | Cyril Ramaphosa moves SA to adjusted alert level 4

Get the latest updates as South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to address the nation on developments in the country’s response to Covid-19. This comes as South Africa continues to experience a surge in Covid-19 infections.

And I know that no matter how difficult things become, we never, never give up.   May God bless South Africa and protect her people.

I thank you all.

I say so because I believe in you, the South African people.   I know that you will continue to do what is right and what needs to be done.

We have climbed many hills before, and we will climb this one too.   We will do so by working together, as we have always done.

Let us call on every bit of strength we have, let us summon our reserves of courage, and hold firm until this wave, too, passes over us.   We will recover.

We are still standing, because we are a resilient people that has overcome the worst many times in our history.   Now a third wave is gathering in strength and force.   Once again, we find ourselves at a defining moment in our fight against this disease.

While this pandemic may seem overwhelming, we can do something about it. Through the choices we make, we can help to contain it. We have come so far. We have weathered this storm for nearly a year and a half. We have overcome many hurdles and setbacks.

If you test positive, notify the people you have come into contact with so they can protect themselves and others.   We are all responsible not just for our own health, but for the health of those around us.

If you are sick and have even mild COVID-19 symptoms, you must isolate yourself, including from your immediate household.   If you have been exposed to someone infected with COVID-19 you have to quarantine for ten days.

We must always wear a mask in public. #WearAMask   We must regularly wash or sanitise our hands. #WashYourHands   We must always keep a safe distance from others.   Unless it is necessary, please remain at home. #StayHome

The tried and tested public health measures that have been in place remain our best chance at fighting this pandemic.   They are not complicated, difficult or expensive.

There may be uncertainty over the trajectory of the pandemic, but there is one thing that is certain.   We can and we must continue to protect ourselves in the best way we know how.

Fellow South Africans,   Since our country reported its first case of this deadly virus, we have understood that we are all in this together. As much as we had hoped this pandemic would pass quickly, we know the reality to be vastly different.

SAHPRA must be allowed to do its job without intimidation or political influence so that when vaccines are approved the public can be confident that the vaccines are safe, of good quality and will work.

We must remember that SAHPRA is an independent regulator that focuses only on scientific evidence to ensure safety, quality and efficacy in the interest of public health.

It is therefore extremely distressing when political leaders launch personal attacks against such people for doing the job they have been assigned to do.

Throughout this pandemic, our national response has been led by dedicated medical professionals, healthcare workers and scientists.   We owe them all a debt of gratitude for their professionalism and their dedication.

I also want to remind the South African people that we must continue to follow the public health guidelines even if we are vaccinated.

The most important thing is that any of the vaccines we are rolling out will protect you against severe disease, hospitalisation and, most importantly, death.

We must also remember that some vaccinated people may still become infected, regardless of variant, because no vaccine is 100% effective.   Where vaccinated people do get infected, the symptoms tend to be mild.

The Vaccine Ministerial Advisory Committee will continue to consider all data at its disposal and will adapt its advice as and when new evidence emerges.

You may also have questions as to whether the vaccines currently being used are effective in preventing severe illness or hospitalisation from the new variant.

There is evidence that the vaccines we are using in South Africa are effective against the delta variant.

If you have any questions about the vaccine, if you are unsure in any way, please consult the information being provided by the Department of Health and from doctors.

The scientific evidence before us shows that vaccines work. They are safe. They are effective, and they save lives.

I have said it before, and I wish to say it again: please think long and hard before you press share or send. Please consider the harm you may be causing.   You are spreading panic, fear and confusion at a time when we can ill-afford it.

False stories are being spread on WhatsApp groups, on social media, and by word of mouth about the COVID-19 vaccine, claiming that the vaccine is not safe, that it can make you sick, or that it doesn’t work.

Fellow South Africans,   There is still a lot of misinformation being circulated about the COVID-19 vaccine.

To date 3.8 million people have been registered on the electronic vaccination database.   The national vaccination programme will continue along three defined streams.

The fourth stream is through workplace programmes in key economic sectors such as mining, manufacturing and the taxi industry.   I want to call on all who are eligible to register for a vaccine whether it is online, via SMS, by phone, or in person.

We will continue to work with our social partners and communities to reach as many people as possible as quickly as we can.

Whilst we have yet to reach all of the estimated 5 million citizens in this group, each province has now embarked on social mobilisation drives to assist our elderly to register and receive their vaccination.

The second phase of our roll out has also gone well with the drive for the registration and vaccination of the over 60 year old group continuing to yield good results.

In line with our national roll-out plan, over 950,000 health care workers have now been vaccinated across the country and the registration and vaccination of this cohort continues.

In the last week, the daily vaccination rate surpassed 100,000.   In the last three days, we have received an additional 1.2 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and 1.4 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine through the COVAX facility.

The programme has picked up significant momentum with key milestones being achieved as we move forward.   As of midnight yesterday, nearly 2.7 million people in South Africa had received a vaccine dose.

To ensure there is sufficient hospital bed space we have to reprioritise service provision to ensure there is capacity to treat those with severe cases of COVID-19.   We are forging ahead with our rapidly expanding national vaccination programme.

The Solidarity Fund has provided R16 million to support the recruitment and placement of additional nurses in Gauteng hospitals to complement the military health team that has been deployed.

We are constantly monitoring PPE stocks and medicine stock availability so that we can intervene where we see declines in stock levels.   The Gauteng Department of Health is recruiting additional human resources to support increased workload.

We have been engaging with the producers of medical oxygen to increase their production to accommodate the anticipated increase in cases.

At present, Gauteng has made available 830 additional beds by postponing elective surgery and another 400 beds constructed with alternative building technology that are now being activated.

We are doing everything we can to provide additional bed capacity and speed up the re-opening of Charlotte Maxeke hospital.

As we implement these restrictions, we are continuing to work to strengthen the capacity of our health system.   In Gauteng, the loss of significant capacity due to the ongoing closure of the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital is adding strain to other hospitals.

Government will also be putting in place measures to reduce physical attendance of its employees at workplaces while limiting the disruption of government activities and services.

All employers must allow their staff to work from home wherever possible, and should postpone all non-essential travel and workplace gatherings.

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.

Our focus is on limiting social contacts while preserving the economy. I want to emphasise that it remains mandatory for every person to wear a face mask that always covers their nose & mouth when in public spaces.   It is a criminal offence not to do so.

The measures that we are putting in place now are designed to allow as much economic activity to continue as possible, while containing the spread of the virus.   Most businesses will continue to operate at full capacity and should not be affected.

Contact classes at tertiary instutions will end by Wednesday, 30th of June, with limited access to the institutions. Residences will however remain open. The Ministers of Basic Education & Higher Education, Science & Innovation will provide further details on these arrangements.

The closure of #schools and other educational institutions for the winter holidays will be brought forward. Schools will start closing from this Wednesday, the 30th of June, and all schools will be expected to be closed by the end of the week, on Friday.

#Restaurants and other eateries will only be permitted to sell food for take-away or delivery. This is because it is not possible for patrons to wear masks while eating or drinking in these establishments.

If you are currently not in your place of residence, you will be allowed to return home to or from Gauteng.

Because of the burden of infections in #Gauteng, travel in and out of the province for leisure purposes will be prohibited. This does not include work, business or commercial travel, transit through airports or for the transport of goods.

Our Ministerial Advisory Committee has advised that the limited restrictions previously imposed were not that effective and that a prohibition will ease the pressure that is placed on hospital services by alcohol-related emergency incidents.

Therefore, the following measures are to be in place across the country from tomorrow, Monday, the 28th of June 2021 to Sunday, the 11th of July 2021:

A #curfew will be in place from 9pm to 4am, and all non-essential establishments will need to close by 8pm.

The sale of #alcohol both for on-site and off-site consumption is prohibited.

After #14days, we will assess the impact of these interventions after 14 days to determine whether they need to be maintained or adjusted.

Cabinet decided that to ensure that our response is appropriate and proportionate to the current situation, the additional restrictions we are announcing this evening will be in place for the next #14days.

Based on scientific advice we received from the MAC and further consultation with our provinces and metros and traditional leaders, and on the recommendation of the NCCC, Cabinet has decided that the country should move to Adjusted Alert #Level4.

Our priority is to break the chain of transmission by reducing person-to-person contact and thereby help to flatten the curve.

In considering what new measures we have to take we have drawn on international best practice and scientific data from studies across the world.

Even as our hospitals have made extraordinary efforts to accommodate patients, ICU beds are in short supply.   What we are seeing is that the existing containment measures in place are not enough to cope with the speed and scale of new infections.

Safeguarding the capacity of our health facilities to cope with rising infections is a priority.   In several provinces, our public health facilities are stretched to their limits, and private facilities are also buckling under the strain.

The difficult truth is that complacency comes at a high price. We must maintain our guard and continue to be careful at all times. We must follow the public health regulations that are there for our own safety and the safety of others.

We have all had to endure great hardship over the past year and a half.   We may have thought that with life slowly returning to normal, we could take a more casual approach to the public health regulations.

The 1st wave lasted 15 weeks. The 2nd wave lasted 9 weeks. We don’t know how long this one will last, but indications are that it could last longer.   I know that is the last thing many of you want to hear.

We are in the grip of a devastating wave that by all indications seems like it will be worse than those that preceded it.  The peak of this third wave looks set to be higher than the previous two.

We must all be worried about what we are seeing unfold before our very eyes.   Every one of us has a friend, a family member or a colleague who has been infected.

We also must remain vigilant in the Northern Cape and Free State, which may experience a second spike of cases if the new variant spreads there as well.

Gauteng now accounts for more than 60 per cent of new cases in the country.   With the exceptions of the Northern Cape and Free State, infections are rising rapidly in all other provinces.

As of today, the 7-day average of new daily cases nationally has overtaken the peak of the first wave in July last year, and will soon overtake the peak of the second wave we experienced in January this year.

Reports from some countries, including on our continent, also suggest that infections and clinical illness in children may be more common with the delta variant, even as the overall rate of infection remains substantially lower than in adults.

Fourthly, because it is much more contagious, the measures we have so far adopted to contain the spread of the virus may no longer be sufficient to reduce transmission.

Thirdly, there is now emerging scientific evidence that people previously infected with the Beta variant do not have full protection against the Delta variant, and may get re-infected.

Secondly, because it is more contagious, it can infect far more people.   As with the previous variants, you can pass it on without even knowing you have it.

We are concerned about the rapid spread of this variant.   Firstly, because it is more transmissible than previously circulating viruses, meaning it is easier to catch through person-to-person contact.

The evidence we have is that the Delta variant is rapidly displacing the Beta variant, which has been dominant in our country until now.

The Delta variant has now been detected in five of our provinces, namely the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape.

This variant was first detected in India at the end of March this year, and is now found in 85 countries.

The Delta variant spread like wildfire in India in an alarming manner.

Our scientists tell us that COVID-19 virus has many variants.

Last year, we experienced the Beta variant.   In addition, we now have the Delta variant.

To date, African Union Member States have reported over 5.2 million cases and over 138,000 deaths from COVID-19.

The Cocid-19 virus that descended on our country in March last year has been continuing to mutate, creating new variants.

Ramaphosa says the Delta variant has been detected in five of our provinces and is rapidly replacing the Beta variant.

Ramaphosa says the situation in South Africa has gotten worse, like many countries.

We have walked a long road to deal and address Covid-19

Tonight I address you on quite a weighty matter – Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa begins his address

The department of health says South Africa has recorded 15 036 new Covid-19 cases, bring the total number of infections to  1 928 897.

The total number of deaths now stands at 59 900 after 122 new deaths were recorded on Sunday.

In brief

New coronavirus infections in South Africa appear to be dominated by the Delta variant that was first identified in India, according to scientists, as a third wave swept the country.

The country’s second coronavirus wave was driven by the Beta variant first detected locally, but the Delta variant now looks to be leading new infections, specialists said.

“A new variant seems to be not only arising, but it seems to start dominating the infections in South Africa,” Reuters quoted Professor Tulio de Oliveira from the University of KwaZulu-Natal told a news conference.

“It completely took over,” he said, adding that the Delta variant was more transmissible even than the Beta variant.

Meanwhile, Acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane indicated that it was now likely that the peak of the third wave would surpass that of the second wave in January, when more than 21 000 new daily cases were recorded.

Ramaphosa’s address comes after his meeting with the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) on Sunday.

Covid-19 infections have continued to rise in the country and calls are mounting tougher restriction to deal with the Delta variant prevalent in the country.

On Saturday, acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, together with a panel of experts, provided an update on the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We can confirm that we are meeting the president and we will bring recommendations. We have had extensive discussions with our scientists about the new variant. The president is in charge of making these decisions, not the acting minister of health,” said Kubayi-Ngubane.

Read more here 

According to a News24, report it is likely that the president will announce the following:

  • Schools will be closed.
  • Travelling to and from Gauteng for leisure will be prohibited, but other travelling and transport of goods and services will continue.
  • All other protocols and measures are set to remain in place.
  • All gatherings would be prohibited, except for funerals and cremations, which would be limited to 50 people.
  • Restaurants will only be allowed to do take-aways for the next few weeks, while public spaces, like parks, sports grounds, etc, be closed for three weeks.

Level 4 lockdown on the cards?

News24 is reporting that South Africa is likely to move to Level 4 lockdown, with a total ban on alcohol and school closures on the cards.

The President’s Coordinating Council (PCC), which consists of premiers and executive mayors, met on Sunday to discuss the way forward in the wake of rising Covid-19 infections, the report said.

Read more here

Hashtag level5 (#level5) is trending on Twitter on Sunday, as many South Africans speculate that the president will put the country in a higher lockdown level.

A number of Twitter users have been tweeting.

Here are some of the tweets:

Acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane has pleaded with Gautengers to refrain from social gatherings.

“We do understand and know that Gauteng is under pressure and because it is weekend, those who are going to be drinking alcohol, please can you stay at home? Just for once, take a decision that I’m going stay at home. The visits to families in and out daily are also causing a problem.

“We are pleading with you Guatengers. We are pleading with you to really respond to our call. We can increase the restrictions, but without your response we will not be able to beat this pandemic,” SABC quoted the minister as saying.

Read more here 

Gauteng, which is the epicentre of South Africa’s third wave, is of particular concern.

The province recorded its highest number of daily infections this week, with 11 000 new infections recorded in the last day.

The alcohol industry wants the government to consider keeping the sales of alcohol at the current restriction level of Monday to Thursday.

The industry says a total ban only leads to illicit trade, according to eNCA.

South Africa has had three alcohol sales bans since the country went into its first lockdown in March last year.

The first ban was lifted in June, but a second followed in July amid South Africa’s first Covid-19 wave.

When the second wave hit – fuelled by a more contagious variant – a third ban was imposed at the end of December last year.

President Ramaphosa is expected to put in place stricter restrictions, particularly against the sale of alcohol.

But the alcohol industry has, according to Fin24, warned that the imposition of another liquor ban will be disastrous, and will end up killing some businesses.

“Another ban will offer a severe blow to thousands of small businesses still trying to get back on their feet from the previous bans, resulting in even more job losses, business closures and loss in revenue for the national fiscus,” the report quoted the Beer Association of SA (BASA), which represents the Craft Brewers Association, Heineken and SA Breweries (SAB) as saying.

South Africa has seen three alcohol sales bans since the country went into its first lockdown in March last year – resulting in job losses and billions of rands in estimated lost revenue and taxes, the report said.

Read more here

The department of health reported on Saturday that South Africa recorded 17 958 new cases of Covid -19 in the past 24 hours, pushing the overall number of infections in the country to over 1 913 000.

The country currently has 152 013 active cases.

South Africa also recorded 157 new deaths in the same 24-hour cycle, bringing the national death toll close to the 60 000 mark – at 59 778.

The recovery rate is at 88.9%, which translates to more than 1 702 000 people who have recuperated so far.

Meanwhile, authorities in the health sector say they have administered at least 2 682 000 vaccines across the country including healthcare workers through the Sisonke Johnson & Johnson vaccine programme.

The presidency has just tweeted to confirm that Ramaphosa will indeed address the nation tonight.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to address South Africans on Sunday, June 27, at 20:00. This comes after his meeting with the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC).

A special National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) convened on Saturday, June 26, to receive a report from scientists on the prevalence of the Delta variant in South Africa.

The Delta variant, which was first identified in India, was now contributing to high Covid-19 infections in the country.

Read more here

PICTURE: Twitter/@CoronaUpdatesZA

Compiled by Betha Madhomu 

Article written by