The storm is upon us
RAMAPHOSA: RENEWS CURFEW TOO AMID ‘FIGHT TO SAVE EVERY LIFE’
As the coronavirus pandemic intensifies, the more than 12 000 new Covid-19 cases daily forces President Cyril Ramaphosa to renew a ban on liquor sales, a curfew from 9pm until 4am, and enforce the wearing of masks in public – but the country will stay at Level 3, he told the nation last night.
‘More than a quarter of the deaths had occurred in the past week.’
The surge in infections advised by medical experts had now arrived, President Cyril Ramaphosa said last night in his first address to the nation in nearly three weeks.
“The storm is upon us,” Ramaphosa said.
“More than a quarter of a million of South Africans have been infected with coronavirus and we know that many more infections have gone undetected.”
Ramaphosa also suspended the sale of alcohol “with immediate effect” and a curfew from 9pm to 4am as of today.
“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.
“We have therefore decided that to conserve hospital capacity, the sale, dispensing and distribution of alcohol will be suspended with immediate effect.”
He said there was clear evidence the resumption of alcohol sales had resulted in substantial pressure being put on hospitals, including trauma and ICU units, due to motor vehicle accidents, violence and related trauma.
“Most of these and other trauma injuries occur at night,” said Ramaphosa. “Therefore, as an additional measures to reduce the pressure on hospitals, a curfew will be put in place between the hours of 9pm and 4am.”
The president said more than 12 000 cases were being recorded a day, the equivalent of 500 new infections an hour while more than a quarter of the deaths had occurred in the past week.
Political analyst Daniel Silke said Ramaphosa’s speech had had a more personal tone, reprimanding the population.
“Effectively, he was saying because you haven’t followed all the rules, we’re going to extend the lockdown and tighten aspects of the restrictions,” Silke said.
“It does signify the state doesn’t have sufficient resources to cope with the surge. It was a tone of frustration the state is clearly under capacitated; he was almost throwing his hands up in hopelessness at what else is there for us to do other than tweak some of the regulations.”
A frowning Ramaphosa castigated those not wearing masks in public. “Regulations on the wearing of masks will be strengthened. Employers, shop owners and managers, public transport operators, and owners of any other public building are now legally obliged to ensure anyone entering their premises or facilities must be wearing a mask.
“There are few parts of the country which will remain untouched by coronavirus. The coronavirus storm is far fiercer and much more destructive than any we have known before,” Ramaphosa said earlier.
“It is stretching our resources, but it is also stretching our resolve to the very limits.”
Ramaphosa hammered those ignoring regulations and “acting without responsibility to respect and protect others”.
“There are a number of people who have taken to organising parties, who have drinking sprees, and some who walk around in crowded spaces without the protection of masks,” Ramaphosa said, shaking his head.
Moving to a higher level of lockdown would not necessarily mean a reduction in the rate of transmission and would come at an extraordinary economic cost, he said.
Silke said government was trying to keep the economy “sort of running”.
“But he also showed there was some will from government to re-impose some of the restrictions and try and look as though he was taking charge,” Silke said.
The Institute for Race Relations chief of staff John Endres said the president’s speech “illuminates one thing very clearly: these are dangerous times for the ANC and they’re nervous. They should be”.
“Loadshedding is back, the recession is deepening, unemployment is exploding, the deficit and debt are skyrocketing,” Endres said. “The government is aggressively interfering in the lives of citizens, threatening property rights, it’s fingers itching to grab the pensions and savings of hard-working South Africans.
“With this as a backdrop, people can see the desperate and fearful opportunism driving the ANC’s calls for next year’s elections to be postponed.”
He was almost throwing his hands up in hopelessness