South Africa tightened restrictions to fight a resurgence in the coronavirus.

Nation responds to third wave of coronavirus — delta variant

JOHANNESBURG — Battling a fast-increasing surge of COVID-19 cases, South Africa has reintroduced tough restrictions including a ban on alcohol sales and an extended nightly curfew.

The delta variant, first discovered in India, appears to be driving South Africa’s new increase, President

Cyril Ramaphosa said Sunday night, announcing the return to strict measures.

South Africa recorded more than 15,000 new cases Sunday, including 122 deaths, bringing its total fatalities to near 60,000.

Gauteng, the country’s most populous province which includes the largest city Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria, has the brunt of the current surge, accounting for about 66 percent of new infections.

Health authorities are concerned that the country’s eight other provinces are likely to soon see spikes in cases to match those in Gauteng, where hospitals are running short of COVID-19 beds and patients are being taken to health facilities in other provinces.

Neighboring Zimbabwe, Namibia and Mozambique are also fighting growing numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

“A third wave is gathering in strength and force,” Ramaphosa said in an address broadcast nationally in which he said all public gatherings would be banned for two weeks, except for funerals which can only be attended by 50 people.

“Once again, we find ourselves at a defining moment in our fight against this disease,” he said, urging continued mask wearing and social distancing.

“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,” a somber Ramaphosa said. “We have climbed many hills before, and we will climb this one, too.”

In other global developments:

North Macedonia on Sunday received a shipment of 500,000 doses of Chinese Sinovac vaccines that will allow authorities to continue mass immunization in the country, which has slowed over the past two weeks because of vaccine shortages.

North Macedonia received another shipment of more than 100,000 doses of Pfizer-biontech vaccines through the COVAX system on Saturday.

The small Balkan country had struggled earlier with vaccine shortages.

Faced with a sharp rise in coronavirus cases, Bangkok on Sunday announced a ban on indoor dining and gatherings of more than 20 people, in addition to the closure of construction sites and the sealing off of workers’ quarters in the Thai capital and nine other provinces.

The measures will remain for 30 days.

Thailand reported 3,995 confirmed cases and 42 dead in the last 24 hours. The numbers have doubled recently, and health officials blame a lack of cooperation from migrant workers employed in construction and in factories.