21 DAYS TO GO
President extends lockdown by 2 weeks
Ministers take 33% pay cut, first Covid-19 death recorded in Eastern Cape
To some extent it was expected, but President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that the national lockdown will be extended by two weeks was still a shock to a nation already reeling from the economic fallout of the coronavirus.
Only hours before the clock ticked over to Good Friday, Ramaphosa said that with the number of deaths and infections rising each day, the government had little choice but to extend the lockdown.
In his televised address on Thursday night, Ramaphosa said there were 1,934 confirmed cases in the country.
The announcement came as the Eastern Cape recorded its first death. A retired nurse died in the early hours of Thursday morning at Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth.
The woman had attended a funeral in KwaDwesi. Three Covid-19 cases are linked to the funeral that took place before the lockdown started.
Ramaphosa said there was sufficient evidence to show the lockdown was working, but if government ended the lockdown too abruptly, the country would risk an “uncontrollable resurgence” of the virus.
“I am asking you to endure even longer. We have to make great sacrifices so we can survive.
“After careful consideration, we have decided to extend the national lockdown by a further two weeks. Most of the existing measures will remain in place,” he said.
“We will use the coming days to embark on risk-adjusted measures. We will ramp up our public health measures. We are mindful of the great and heavy burden this will impose on you. We are keenly aware of the impact on the economy. But unless we can hold this course for a little longer, the coronavirus will consume our country.”
He said all South Africans wanted a return to normal life, but “our immediate priority is to slow down spread of the virus”.
“Our strategy is made up of three parts. The first is an intensified public health response. The second is a comprehensive package of economic support measures. Thirdly, a programme of increased social support for poor and vulnerable households will be rolled out.”
Screening and testing in provinces would be increased in the coming weeks.
The CSIR will also monitor coronavirus statistics, including screening and testing, isolation and hospitalisation.
On the economy, Ramaphosa said in addition to stimulus programmes designed to rescue businesses, the government has prioritised R1.2 billion for small-scale farmers and to ensure food supply.
Ministers and provincial premiers will take a one-third cut from their salaries to donate the Solidarity Fund.
The SA Reserve Bank had already warned that SA’s economy could shrink between 2% and 4% in 2020, but as much as the economic impact was hurting the country, the government was focused on saving lives and curbing the spread of the virus.
Border-Kei Chamber of Business executive director Les Holbrook said the extended lockdown would be devastating for business.
“When the lockdown was announced, people took it as a measure to contain the virus. Now it will be extremely difficult for business. Companies are already struggling to pay their staff wages and rentals, and they have been looking for business relief,” Holbrook said.
“Come the end of April, I think it will come down to a situation of no work no pay.”
Holbrook said if the pandemic had arrived eight years ago, SA could possibly have lived with the economic fallout. This was not the case now, however. “For some companies it will be the death knell. Some will survive and come out stronger on the other side, but not all.”
Sufficient evidence to show the lockdown is working, but if government ended the lockdown too abruptly, the country would risk ‘uncontrollable resurgence’ of virus
Our strategy is made up of three parts ... intensified public health response ... comprehensive package of economic support measures ... increased social support for poor