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Monday, 28th June 2021
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa reimposed restrictions for another two weeks on Sunday to battle an outbreak of the highly dangerous coronavirus Delta strain.
The president said in a televised address to the nation that the continent's worst-hit country is "facing a massive resurgence of infection." "Our health facilities are stretched to the limit... ICU beds are in short supply," he said as he placed the country on alert level four, just one level below full lockdown.
Ramaphosa ordered a ban on all gatherings, with the exception of funerals, which will be limited to 50 people. He also ordered a ban on the selling of alcohol.
Eateries and restaurants will no longer be permitted to serve sit-down meals, and will instead be restricted to selling food for take-out or delivery.
The nighttime curfew has been extended by an hour, from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., and all schools should be closed by Friday.
As the country tries to quickly roll out vaccinations, authorities believe the peak of the third wave, which is powered by the Delta strain initially found in India, would surpass that of previous waves.
"We are in the midst of a terrible wave that appears to be worse than the ones that came before it," Ramaphosa remarked.
After recording 15,036 new cases on Sunday, South Africa now has 1,928,897 coronavirus cases, a decrease from the previous day's 18,762 new infections.
The total number of people that have died in Covid-19 is 59,900.
Leisure travel in and out of Gauteng, South Africa's densely populated region that includes Johannesburg and Pretoria, the country's economic and industrial centre, has been banned.
The province has become the epicentre of the outbreak, accounting for around 60% of national illnesses.
The immunisation campaign in the country has been slow. Since February, almost 2.7 million individuals have been immunised, but Ramaphosa claims the vaccination campaign has gained traction.
Meanwhile, most businesses would continue to operate at full capacity, as he stated, in order to maintain as much economic activity as feasible.
The fast spread of the Delta variety has frightened health officials all around the world.
According to the World Health Organization, the Delta variety has spread to at least 85 nations.
The News Talkie Bureau
Source
NDTV