PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday defended the COVID-19 lockdown and its regulations, saying the government’s mitigation strategy assisted to flatten the curve and avoid over 40 000 deaths as predicted by expert modellers.
Opposition parties grilled Ramaphosa on some of the lockdown regulations during a virtual sitting of Parliament, with the Democratic Alliance calling for him to scrap the lockdown altogether because it was serving no purpose and killing SA’s economy.
Ramaphosa responded by saying that if government did not impose the lockdown, ‘we would be speaking about thousands of South Africans having died. Our infection rate would have been much higher than it is. The World Health Organization, United Nations and the Africa Centre for Disease Control have complimented our measures and praised us for flattening the curve.”
‘The lockdown gave us the ability to manage the virus [from spreading],” said Ramaphosa.
“As I indicated in the earlier reply, our response to the coronavirus pandemic has been informed by the advice of our scientists, the experiences of other countries and the guidance from bodies like the World Health Organization and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.”
He added: “Unlike several other countries, South Africa deliberately implemented a lockdown early in the progression of the disease as a strategy to delay transmission. We did this knowing that we would not be able to bring transmission under control by the time we had to ease the lockdown, but that it would give us the time we needed to strengthen our health system and put a comprehensive public health response in place. The WHO has supported South Africa in this approach.”
He said as Chairperson of the National Coronavirus Command Council, he remained committed to consulting widely with diverse stakeholders in taking decisions that will both protect the lives of people and support their livelihoods.
“In deciding on when to begin the gradual and systematic easing of the lockdown, government was guided by the views of the scientists, the experience of other countries and wide-ranging consultations,” said Ramaphosa.
“It also took into account the economic and social disruption caused by the lockdown, and the devastating impact it was having on people’s incomes and livelihoods.”
On Wednesday, Ramaphosa announced a further easing of some lockdown restrictions to allow for economic activity, including the reopening of restaurants, casinos, cinemas and personal care services.
However, the DA’s John Steenhuisen said the world’s longest and hardest lockdown has hurt the economy.
“He seems to have finally realised just how devastating this lockdown has been – and will continue to be – for ordinary South Africans, but it’s happened far too late. Everything he announced tonight could have – and should have – been announced almost two months ago,” said Steenhuisen.
“It is unclear at which level of the lockdown we now find ourselves – not that it makes much difference, as the lockdown is now de facto ended. But this ending comes too late to save thousands of businesses and millions of jobs.”
He said Ramaphosa’s words of commiseration for all the industries and businesses that haven’t been able to operate and whose employees have earned no salary these past 80 days ring hollow indeed, as it is his government’s irrational lockdown that has caused this misery.
“The truth is that the world’s longest hard lockdown, and not Covid19, killed our economy and ruined the lives of millions of South Africans,” said Steenhuisen.
“And what do we have to show for it? Nothing, is the short answer. The lockdown has only delayed the peak of the spike by a couple of weeks. The president conceded as much, saying infections are growing exponentially.”
(Compiled by Inside Politics staff)
