Ramaphosa: South Africa to remain at lockdown level three

President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement in an address to the nation on Monday evening.

This is an extension of the current level as announced by Ramaphosa on 28 December 2020 with most of the measures set to remain in place.

Alcohol sales remained banned; land ports will be shut until 15 February while there is also an adjustment to the curfew (9pm to 5am).

KwaZulu-Natal remains the epicenter of the virus in the country. Since the turn of the year, the province has on average recorded the highest number of new infections daily.

“It is necessary that we keep the Alert Level 3 measures in place until we have passed the peak of new infections and we are certain that the rate of transmission has fallen enough to allow us to safely ease the current restrictions,” Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa said the continued prohibition of alcohol has eased pressure on the health system.

“Health services in several parts of the country reported that the prohibition of alcohol sales had significantly reduced the number of trauma cases seen in our hospitals over the New Year period. It is vital that we continue to protect our health services,” Ramaphosa said.

“Given the risk of widespread transmission, most indoor and outdoor gatherings will not be permitted. This includes social gatherings, religious gatherings, political events, traditional council meetings and gatherings at sports grounds,” Ramaphosa added.

Ramaphosa also expanded on South Africa’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan.

“We have put in place a comprehensive vaccination strategy to reach all parts of the country. This will be the largest and most complex logistical undertaking in our country’s history,” Ramaphosa said.

“While there are several promising negotiations with a number of different manufacturers that still need to be concluded, we have to date secured 20 million doses to be delivered mainly in the first half of the year,” Ramaphosa added.

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