By OBAKENG MAJE
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to create a global disaster and impacting on economies, health, and social conditions, says the president of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday. Ramaphosa said the country has succeeded in delaying the spread of a virus in the past 120 days.
“We delayed the spread of the virus by working together and by maintaining our resolve. But now, the surge in infections that we had been advised by our medical experts would come, has arrived.
“The storm is upon us as more than a quarter of a million South Africans have been infected with coronavirus. We know that many more infections have gone undetected. As of this evening, there are 276,242 confirmed cases in the country. We are now recording over 12 000 new cases every day,” he said.
Ramaphosa added that the coronavirus storm is far fiercer and more destructive than any they have known before. He further said it is stretching the resources and their resolve to their limits.
“The surge of infections that our experts and scientists predicted over 3 months ago has now arrived. It started in the Western Cape and is now underway in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng. Gauteng is fast approaching 100,000 confirmed cases. The Eastern Cape has passed 50,000 cases, and although the rate of transmission has slowed in the Western Cape, it will soon have 80,000 cases.
“According to current projections, each of our provinces will reach the peak of infections at different times between the end of July and late September. Yet, while infections rise exponentially, it is important to note that our case fatality rate of 1.5% is among the lowest in the world. This is compared to a global average case fatality rate of 4.4%,” said Ramaphosa.
He lauded the relatively low number of deaths in the country to the experience and dedication of health professionals and the urgent measures they have taken to build the capacity of the health system which faced a number of its own inherent challenges before COVID-19. Ramphosa said the most important measure of success is the number of lives they save.
“More than 134,000 South Africans have recovered from the coronavirus. Many of those who have recovered took personal responsibility for their health and the health of others, by self-isolating or presenting to quarantine themselves facilities. Even as most of our people have taken action to prevent the spread of the virus, there are others who have not.
“There are some among us who ignore the regulations that have been passed to combat the disease. They also act without any responsibility to respect and protect each other. In the midst of our national effort to fight against this virus 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 masks,” he said.
Ramaphosa added that scientists and other scenario planners have presented them with models that project that South Africa may have between 40,000 and 50,000 deaths before the end of this year. He urged people to make it their single most important task to prove these projections wrong.
“Through our own actions – as individuals, as families, as communities – we can and we must change the course of this pandemic in our country. We are by now all familiar with what we need to do to protect ourselves and others from infection. We need to wear a cloth mask that covers our nose and mouth whenever we leave home.
“We must continue to regularly wash our hands with soap and water or sanitiser. We must continue to clean and sanitise all surfaces in all public spaces. Most importantly, we must keep a safe distance – of at least 2 metres – from other people. There is now emerging evidence that the virus may also be carried in tiny particles in the air in places that are crowded, closed, or have poor air circulation,” said Ramaphosa.
He also highlighted that the taxis undertaking local trips will now be permitted to increase their capacity to 100%, while long-distance taxis will not be allowed to exceed 70% occupancy on condition that new risk mitigation protocols related to masks, vehicle sanitising and open windows are followed. Ramaphosa suspended the sale, dispensing, and distribution of alcohol with immediate effect.
“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. This is a fight to save every life, and we need to save every bed. There is clear evidence that the resumption of alcohol sales has 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. Therefore, as additional measures to reduce the pressure on hospitals, a curfew will be put in place between the hours of 9pm and 4am. Apart from people who need to travel to and from work or who need to seek urgent medical or other assistance during this time, everyone will be required to remain at home. The curfew will take effect from Monday at 9pm,” he said.
The Guardian 