By Kaya 959 News
My fellow South Africans, get ready for a family meeting in the coming weeks.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to address the nation soon on measures government will implement to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
In the last week, SA has recorded an increase of more than 8000 new cases with almost 60 000 deaths.
The Health Ministry confirmed that there are more than 43 000 active cases of COVID-19 in SA.
Speaking during a briefing on Thursday, Acting Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said there will be a family meeting soon.
“We are all noticing the numbers as they are going up, in terms of infections, and people are starting to notice an uptick in terms of death,” she said.
Cabinet holds consultations
Ntshavheni said Cabinet is in discussions and consultations on the measures that will be put in place to ensure that the citizens are protected.
“A decision will be taken soon, after the consultations, and we will announce the date when the president will hold the family meeting,” she said.
Ntshavheni went on to praise phase 2 of SA’s vaccine roll-out plan.
“All vaccination sites across the country are ready to assist those who have been allocated a vaccination slot. Cabinet reminds everyone visiting the vaccination sites to adhere to the strict health protocols of wearing a mask, sanitising and social distancing to protect themselves and others,” she said.
More than two million people have registered on the COVID-19 EVDS.
Surge in COVID-19 admissions
Managing Executive for Clinical Risk and Advisory at Medscheme, a subsidiary of AfroCentric Group, Dr Lungi Nyathi, said their latest statistics provide evidence of a surge in COVID-19 admissions in the Northern Cape, North West, Free State and Gauteng.
“So far, these seem to be hotspots for new infections, with little evidence of a resurgence in Eastern Cape, KZN, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape,” he said.
Dr Nyathi said that, while the Northern Cape, North West, Free State and Gauteng are currently of particular concern, every province in the country seems to have at least one Covid-19 hotspot at present.
Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has warned that the third wave could hit all provinces if the rise in infections was anything to go by.
“We reached a 10% positivity rate on Tuesday and we are now at 11%. We must register our concern that some of the provinces have declared themselves in the third wave,” Mkhize said, in an address to the National Council of Provinces.
He urged people to continue to wear a mask, maintain a social distance from others and sanitise their hands.
Mkhize said to fund the vaccine rollout, an additional R9 billion has been set aside to the department’s baseline – for the next two years.
He said the major issue of concern is to make sure that as many people in SA are vaccinated and protected from the coronavirus.
Should the President announce tightened restrictions, it is likely that the numbers at gatherings would be limited. It is also expected that the government will tighten measures around the sale of alcohol and restriction of movement.
