The restrictions imposed on adjusted on level 3 lockdown will remain in place until the government has significantly reduced daily infections of Covid-19.
This was announced by president Cyril Ramaphosa as he addressed the nation on Monday night about the developments in relation to the country's response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ramaphosa said over 15,000 people have been hospitalised for Covid-19 while a third of them are on oxygen machines as the government extends level 3 lockdown restrictions until further notice.
The president said the new Covid-19 variant known as 501.v2 that was first identified in SA in November has proven to be spreading faster than the initial variant even though it did not cause severe sickness. He said funerals have also proven to be the biggest “death traps” of the virus and urged the public to desist from attending them.
Some of the restrictions he announced included renewed curfew of 9pm to 5am, continued ban of alcohol, access to beaches, dams, lakes, rivers, public parks and public swimming pools in hotspot areas, closure of 20 land entry point into the country until February 15.
These include the six busiest border posts, which are Beitbridge, Lebombo, Maseru Bridge, Oshoek, Ficksburg and Kopfontein. Only people transporting cargo, medical supplies and fuel will be allowed entry. A full list of those exempted will include SA citizens returning home and scholars.
Despite the huge outcry on the blanket ban on alcohol, however Ramaphosa said it was necessary to remove booze. He also highlighted that Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital had zero patients in its trauma unit on New Year’s Day for the first time in the history of the facility. He attributed this to the ban of alcohol.
“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. Alcohol does result in behaviour that causes trauma,” said Ramaphosa.
He outlined that they have adopted three approaches to acquire the Covid-19 vaccine which he hopes will produce herd immunity of 14 million.
On December 29, Ramaphosa demoted the country to level 3 after it sank into the second wave of the Covid-19 in the second week of that month as the daily infection numbers were edging towards the 15,000 mark.
This was a big jump from the average of 5,000 that was being recorded in the beginning of December. Some of the restrictions he imposed included total ban of sale of alcohol, closing of beaches, extension of the curfew from 10pm to 4am, a limit on numbers at gatherings and a ban on all post-funeral gatherings.
At the time the alcohol and the restaurant industry warned that further restrictions would stifle their economies to death.
Sibani Mngadi of Diego, an alcoholic beverages company, said: "The outcome of today (yesterday) is very disappointing. There has been no explanation how purchase for home consumption impact on both infections and trauma cases. The decision only serves to promote illegal trade that is currently underway."
SA Breweries has since launched a court application against the government to have the blanket alcohol ban relooked as it deems it unconstitutional.
FULL ADDRESS | Alcohol ban remains as lockdown level 3 extended
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