CHARLES MOLELE
PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday night government has taken a decision to ease several lockdown restrictions as it presses ahead with Africa’s biggest rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.
In a prime-time televised address, the president said the decision to ease lockdown restrictions was precipitated by a decline in the number of new cases of the coronavirus, including a significant reduction in COVID-19 hospital admissions across all provinces.
Among new amendments to level 3 lockdown, restrictions on the sales of alcohol will be eased, allowing licensed establishments to sell for off-site consumption from Monday to Thursday from 10am to 6pm, and licenced establishment for on-site consumption any day of the week from 10am to 10pm.
The curfew has also been shortened and will now run from 11pm to 4am, adding that establishments will need to close by 10pm to allow their customers and staff to return home on time.
Public places like beaches, dams, rivers, parks and public swimming pools will also be reopened.
Ramaphosa said faith-based gatherings will now be permitted, subject to health protocols.
This includes a limit of 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors.
“I want to call on all of us to drink responsibly so that we do not experience a spike in trauma cases or an increase in infections due to reckless behaviour. As we ease restrictions once again, the responsibility on each and every one of us as individuals becomes even greater,” he said.
“Let us remember that despite the clear progress we have made, the number of new cases is still high and there is an ever-present danger of a resurgence.”
Government has been immense pressure from business, labour and provincial governments to ease some of South Africa’s level 3 lockdown restrictions.
The sale of alcohol was banned in South Africa on 29 December in an effort to relieve pressure on hospitals and stop the spread of the second wave of Covid-19 infections.
However, the alcohol sales ban has had devastating consequences on the restaurant and liquor industries.
In recent months, the South African Breweries (SAB) has cut overall staff salaries by 10%, and cancelled R5 billion in investments.
According to estimates, the South African economy has lost an estimated R13-billion in direct capital investments with South African Breweries, Heineken and Consol Glass having halted capital expansion projects.
The easing of restrictions comes after the country received a consignment of one million vaccines from India on Monday.
Ramaphosa said government has also secured 9 million vaccine doses from Johnson & Johnson, commencing with delivery in the second quarter.
“The arrival of these vaccines contains the promise that we can turn the tide on this disease that has caused so much devastation and hardship in our country and across the world,” said Ramaphosa.
The president added that nobody will be forced to take the vaccine.
“I want to be clear. Nobody will be forced to take this vaccine … Nobody will be given this vaccine against their will, nor will the vaccine be administered in secret. Any rumours to this effect are both false and dangerous,” he said.
(SOURCE: INSIDE POLITICS)
