Faizel Patel
President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that the entire country will move to Level 3 lockdown from 1 June.
Ramaphosa was addressing the nation on Sunday about South Africa’s implementation of a risk-adjusted strategy.
The president’s address follows recent meetings of Cabinet, the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC), and the President’s Coordinating Council.
Ramaphosa says they are consulting widely and while the nationwide lockdown has been effective, it cannot be sustained indefinitely.
“It is on the basis of these criteria – and following consultation – that Cabinet has determined that the alert level for the whole country should be lowered from level 4 to level 3 with effect from 1 June 2020.”
Ramaphosa says all interfaith groups have agreed to further consultation of how to move towards partial reopening of religious spaces.
“We wish our Muslim compatriots well for Eid. They have all gone through a period of sacrifice, which should ordinarily be followed by a celebration. We wish to thank them for making the necessary adjustments to this celebration as we continue to fight this pandemic together.”
Ramaphosa also announced that while alcohol may be sold for home consumption only under strict conditions, on specified days and for limited hours, the sale of tobacco products will remain prohibited in alert level 3 due to the health risks associated with smoking.
0 Comments