Four of the nine provinces of the country, including that of Gauteng, which includes Johannesburg as well as the capital Pretoria, are already affected by a third wave, said Cyril Ramaphosa the head of state in a televised address.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Sunday evening a return to stricter measures against Covid-19 as the country is under imminent threat of a third wave of the pandemic.
Four of the country’s nine provinces, including Gauteng, which includes Johannesburg as well as the capital Pretoria, are already affected by a third wave, the head of state said in a televised address.
“It may only be a matter of time before the country as a whole has entered a third wave,” he warned.
South Africa is officially the most affected country on the continent, with 1.65 million cases recorded for 56,363 deaths. “The number of positive Covid-19 tests more than doubled last month,” said Cyril Ramaphosa.
“It is particularly important today to delay the spread of the virus to allow as many people as possible to be vaccinated before the third wave reaches its peak,” he insisted.
“A vaccine apartheid”
From Monday, the curfew imposed so far between midnight and 4 a.m. starts at 11 p.m. Non-essential businesses, including bars, restaurants and gyms, must close at 10 p.m. Gatherings, including religious ceremonies and political gatherings, are limited to 250 people outdoors and 100 indoors.
South Africa has vaccinated just over 1% of its population and its campaign to immunize the elderly only started last week.
Widely criticized for delaying the global race to acquire valuable vaccines, the government says it has purchased enough doses for at least 40 of some 59 million South Africans.
Cyril Ramaphosa has repeatedly denounced a “vaccine apartheid” favoring rich countries for access to vaccines.
“The African continent is striving to increase its vaccine production capacity to achieve self-sufficiency,” said Cyril Ramaphosa.
South Africa and India are leading a campaign for a waiver of intellectual property rights to coronavirus vaccines, so that each country can produce doses. This request will be discussed at the G7 summit in June in Great Britain.
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