President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africans must be prepared to continue living with the coronavirus for a year or even more.
Ramaphosa was addressing the nation in his weekly newsletter on Monday.
South Africa has so far recorded 10,015 COVID-19 infections while 194 people have died from the pandemic.
The president says while there is still much about the pandemic that is unknown, experts now agree that the virus will remain a threat to global public health for some time.
“We must therefore be prepared to continue to live with the coronavirus among us for a year or even more. We must be prepared for a new reality in which the fight against COVID-19 becomes part of our daily existence. Our success in overcoming the coronavirus will ultimately be determined by the changes we make in our behaviour.”
Ramaphosa also says workplaces, schools, universities, colleges and other public places will have to be re-organized to limit transmission.
“We will need to adapt to new ways of worshipping, socialising, exercising and meeting that minimise opportunities for the virus to spread.”
Ramaphosa says imposing a nation-wide lockdown gave the country a strategic advantage by availing valuable time to prepare the health system and put in place containment measures, which slowed transmission and saved lives.
Faizel Patel
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