What to expect of South Africa moving to lockdown level 2
A crucial decision is expected that will move South Africa from level 3 lockdown to the so-called alert level 2 with many restrictions set to be relaxed.
Sources close to the South African administration revealed that president Cyril Ramaphosa is preparing to ease more lockdown restrictions after the Covid-19 infection rate in the country significantly improved.
The sources - that preferred to remain anonymous since the news hasn't been announced yet - said that although the decision on which restrictive measures will remain in force hasn't been made, the government decided to lift the ban on alcohol and tobacco sales that had been banned to relieve pressure on medical teams, while restrictions on travel will be relaxed.
Number of infections "tapering off"
Lungi Mtshali, a spokesman for the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Ministry, that sets the lockdown rules said “The measures that we have put in place have been working, and we are seeing a tapering off of the number of infections. The numbers are going down, and regular assessments will be done to open up the economy when ready,”.
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South Africa's Covid-19 daily infection rate has dropped down from more than 10,000 cases per day to less than 3,000 cases while the recovery rate soared to almost 75%.
Imposing the complete lockdown in the country has had a devastating effect on Africa’s most industrialized economy, with both the central bank and National Treasury anticipating a contraction of more than 7%.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize also hinted on Wednesday that his team will be recommending relaxing lockdown rules to the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC), following the encouraging decline in daily infections, to revive some economic activities calling on people to keep adhering to safety and health measures to avoid the infection.