Booze ban back in place
Ramaphosa also imposes curfew, gets tough on the wearing of masks as Covid-19 cases surge
President Cyril Ramaphosa reinstated the ban on the sale of alcohol and a curfew last night as the country enters the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“As we head towards the peak of infections, it is vital that we do not burden our clinics and hospitals with alcohol-related injuries that could have been avoided,” Ramaphosa said.
“This is a fight to save every life, and we need to save every bed.”
He said the lifting of the ban on the sale of alcohol when the country entered level three had resulted in pressure being put on hospitals, including trauma and ICU units, due to accidents, violence and related trauma.
He also laid into South Africans who refuse to wear masks and brazenly disobey lockdown laws.
“Some people complain that they don’t have cloth masks,” Ramaphosa said.
“But, seriously, a cloth mask is not something that is difficult to get.
“Even your T-shirt, even your scarf, even a piece of clothing can be put over your nose and your mouth.”
Ramaphosa announced that there would be stricter regulations when it came to wearing of masks and that employers, shop owners and managers, public transport operators, and managers and owners of any other public building were now legally obliged to ensure that anyone entering their premises or vehicle must be wearing a mask.
A visibly frustrated Ramaphosa said the risks were not hypothetical.
“We now know of several tragic instances when people who have organised or attended social gatherings — including what people call ‘after tears’ after funerals, including gatherings with family — have contracted the virus and have died,” he said. He also announced that a curfew would be imposed between 9pm and 4am.
Only those needed to travel to and from work or for emergency medical assistance would be allowed to be out during these times.
This comes has the number of infections has surged, with SA recording 276,242 cases.
Ramaphosa said the country was recording well over 12,000 new cases every day, which was equivalent to 500 new infections every hour of the day.
A total of 4,079 have died. The president said it was concerning that a quarter of those who died had done so in the last week.
“The surge in infections that we had been advised by medical experts would come has now arrived,” Ramaphosa said. “The storm is upon us. “More than a quarter of a million South Africans have been infected with coronavirus, and we know that many more infections have gone undetected.” Gauteng was fast approaching 100,000 confirmed cases, while the Eastern Cape has passed 50,000, and though the rate of transmission had slowed in the Western Cape, it would soon have 80,000 cases.
Ramaphosa said according to projections, each of the provinces would reach their peak of infections at different times between the end of this month and late September.
Ramaphosa said the government was easing some restrictions on activities that posed a lower risk and were important for economic activity.
As part of resuming economic activity, all auctions would be permitted subject to protocols similar to those that currently applied to agricultural auctions.
Parks would be open for exercise, but not for any gatherings.
The restriction on visits to family and social visits would remain in place. BusinessLIVE,