By Kaya 959 News
Speculation is rife that Cabinet could impose further lockdown restrictions as provinces continue to report spikes in new Covid infections.
Speaking at a visit to the Cape Town port on Tuesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the government is considering imposing tighter lockdown regulations, especially in Gauteng where COVID numbers continue to climb.
He said the National Coronavirus Command Council will meet and make recommendations.
Ramaphosa said discussions will have to be held first before a decision can be made.
“Now we have moved back to level 3 and infections are continuing to rise. That calls for us to review exactly where we are and continue to create that delicate balance between saving lives and the livelihoods of our people,” he said.
Gauteng still a concern
Gauteng reported an increase of 7 471 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases reported an increase of just over 11 000 new COVID-19 cases in South Africa.
“This brings the number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 1 843 572. A further 297 Covid-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 59 092 to date,” the NICD said.
A total of 12 633 235 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors and there has been an increase of 575 hospital admissions have been reported.
READ: Gauteng ramps up vaccine roll out efforts
Last week, Ramaphosa announced the country’s move to level 3. This saw a change in curfew times; between 10pm to 4am, a limitation of 50 at gatherings and a ban on the sale of alcohol for off-site consumption.
The SA Medical Association believes the government needs to implement stricter measures to curb the spread of the virus.
“There should be tighter restrictions on gatherings, people should stay at home as much as possible, we need to look at the schools again, especially in Gauteng,” said SAMA chairperson Dr Angelique Coetzee.



