South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has locked South Africa down to
level three. With infections rising, provinces like Gauteng, Free State, North
West and the Northern Cape are officially in a third
wave. The president has partially banned off-site alcohol sales, while the curfew has been extended
from 10pm to 4am. Limits have also been raised on mass gatherings. He also
updated the nation on the vaccine rollout,
saying the country has capacity to vaccinate 150,000 people a day, with some
commentators saying it’s just not enough. The President’s full speech is
republished below.
From President Cyril Ramaphosa:
Fellow South Africans,
It is exactly 15 months since we declared a National
State of Disaster in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
We have never experienced a health crisis of this severity before, nor
one so prolonged.
It is understandable that many South Africans now feel tired and weary.
We mourn the many lives that we have lost, and we are struggling to cope
with the huge impact that the pandemic has had on the livelihoods of millions
of people.
I know that we have grown impatient with the constraints that have been
placed on our lives.
I fully understand that you are concerned about constraints that
restrict your freedom to travel, to gather, to socialise, to worship and, in
some instances, even to earn a living.
Yet we also know that these restrictions have been effective in
containing the spread of the virus.
We have gone through and endured two devastating waves of infection.
But working together we have brought down infections and prevented the
loss of many lives.
We know that as difficult as the last 15 months have been, we have
started to recover and rebuild.
Although it has encountered several setbacks, our mass vaccination
programme is gaining momentum and we are finally on the path to controlling the
disease.
But although we have reason to hope, we still have a mountain to climb.
A third wave of infections is
upon us. We have to contain this new wave of infections.
Since I last spoke to you just over two weeks ago, the average number of
daily new infections has doubled.
Then, we were recording around 3,700 daily infections.
Over the last seven days, we have recorded an average of 7,500 daily
infections.
Hospital admissions due to COVID-19 over the last 14 days are 59 per
cent higher than the preceding 14 days.
The average number of people who die from COVID-19 each day has
increased by 48 per cent from 535 two weeks ago to 791 in the past seven days.
With the exception of Northern Cape, all provinces are experiencing
rising infections.
Four provinces – Gauteng, Free State, North West and Northern Cape – are
officially in a third wave, while others are approaching that point.
The proportion of COVID tests that are positive – the so-called
positivity rate – is continuing to rise in Gauteng, Limpopo, Western Cape, Free
State and KwaZulu-Natal.
Of these, Gauteng has been the worst
hit.
It accounts for nearly two-thirds of new cases measured over the last
week.
The increase in infections in Gauteng is now faster and steeper than it
was at the same time in previous waves.
Within a matter of days, it is likely that the number of new cases in
Gauteng will surpass the peak of the second wave.
Private hospitals in the province have reported that they are near
capacity.
We have to act decisively and quickly to save lives.
And to do this, we need to return to the basics.
We need to remind ourselves how the virus is spread so that each one of
us makes sure that we behave in a way that reduces the chances of transmission.
We must not disregard the basic precautions that we know are so
essential. Our scientists inform us that it is through our behaviour that the
virus is spread.
We must remember that many people who are infected with COVID-19 do not
show any symptoms.
The person who may be sitting next to you in a taxi, who may be a
co-worker, or a friend or even a family member at a social gathering may be
infected.
You could get infected as you are travelling in a taxi that does not
have any windows open.
You could catch the virus from your co-worker who does not wear their
face mask in a way that covers their nose and mouth.
Your friend or family member may not have washed or sanitised their
hands before passing you a drink or a plate of food, and you could get
infected.
You may go to visit your elderly parents or grandparents, not knowing
that you are infected and infect them.
You could visit your relative who has diabetes, hypertension or another
underlying condition and infect them, even though you feel healthy.
You could go to church or the mosque, or you could go to a crowded
restaurant or shopping centre and all the time be passing on the virus and
putting the health and lives of others at risk.
It is, unfortunately, as easy as that to spread the disease.
When we know that we have been exposed to a person infected with
COVID-19, we must follow the protocol to quarantine for ten days no matter how
inconvenient it may be for us.
This is one of the best ways to stop the virus from spreading further.
Basic changes in behaviour can make a huge difference.
We have spoken about this many times, but it does bear repeating because
oftentimes there are lapses in our behaviour.
We must be more diligent, more consistent and more aware of our actions.
If we are careful and diligent we can limit transmission and bring down
the rate of infection.
The fewer people that are infected at any one time, the fewer people get
sick, fewer people need to be hospitalised, fewer people need ICU care, and
fewer people need ventilators.
What we know from the last two waves of infections, and from experience
around the world, is that when health facilities are overwhelmed more lives are
lost.
Our priority now is to make sure there are enough hospital beds, enough
health workers, enough ventilators and enough oxygen to give the best possible
care to every person who needs it.
The massive surge in new infections means that we must once again
tighten restrictions on the movement of persons and gatherings.
We need to enforce compliance more rigorously and we need to take firmer
action against those who do not adhere to the regulations.
In view of the rising infections, we have therefore decided to move the
country to Alert Level 3.
This will take effect later this evening once the regulations have been
gazetted. This means that:
– The hours of curfew will start at 10pm and end at 4am.
– Non-essential establishments like restaurants, bars and fitness
centres will need to close by 9pm to allow their employees and patrons to
travel home before the start of the curfew.
– All gatherings will be limited to a maximum of 50 people indoors
and 100 people outdoors.
Where the venue is too small to accommodate these numbers with
appropriate social distancing, then no
more than 50 per cent of the capacity of the venue may be used.
This includes religious services, political events and social
gatherings, as well as restaurants, bars, taverns and similar places.
– Attendance at funerals and cremations may not exceed 50 people
and all social distancing and health protocols must be observed.
Night vigils, after-funeral gatherings and ‘after-tears’ gatherings are
not allowed.
– The sale of alcohol from retail outlets for off-site consumption
will only be permitted between 10am and 6pm from Monday to Thursday.
This excludes public holidays.
Alcohol sales for on-site consumption will be permitted as per licence
conditions up to 9pm.
Alcohol consumption in all public spaces, such as beaches and parks, is
strictly forbidden.
Throughout our response to the pandemic, we have sought to take measures
that are appropriate and proportionate to the threat of infection.
If we act too soon, or impose measures that are too severe, the economy will suffer.
At the same time, if we act too late, or if our response is too weak, we
risk losing control of the virus.
We have therefore closely monitored the data and heeded the advice of
our experts and scientists.
The measures we are putting in place now are appropriate to the level of
risk and necessary to save lives.
In addition, several important measures remain in place.
It remains mandatory for every person to wear a face mask that always
covers their nose and mouth at all times when in public spaces.
It is a criminal offence not to do so.
The owners and managers of public buildings, centres, shops,
restaurants, taxis and buses all have a responsibility to ensure that people on
their premises or in their vehicles wear masks.
They must ensure that the appropriate social distancing measures are in
place and adhered to.
It is important to remember that it is a criminal offence if the number
of people on these premises exceeds the maximum number of customers or
employees allowed for there to be proper social distancing.
The move to Alert Level 3 will affect several aspects of our lives and
may require changes to activities that we had planned.
This includes, for example, arrangements for the Youth Day
commemoration, which was scheduled to be held in Pietermaritzburg tomorrow.
This will now be a hybrid event, with a significantly reduced number of
people physically in attendance, and a virtual address by the President.
We each have a responsibility to take the necessary action to protect
ourselves and others.
It is up to each one of us to limit the risk to ourselves and others.
We are all aware that our vaccination programme has experienced several
delays.
Our first setback was that after the arrival of our first batch of
vaccines, our scientists discovered that the AstraZeneca
vaccine that we had procured from the Serum
Institute of India did not provide sufficient protection against the
variant that is predominant in South Africa.
We have also been adversely affected by shortages in the global supply
of vaccines, which has hampered vaccination programmes across Africa and in
many other low- and middle-income countries.
After the AstraZeneca setback, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine
appeared to be the best option for our country as it protects against the
variant, because it requires only a single dose and is easier to store and
transport.
However, the supply of Johnson & Johnson
vaccines was held up by an investigation into contamination of
ingredients at a supplier factory in Baltimore in the United States.
Until now, our mass vaccination programme has therefore had to rely on
the Pfizer vaccine, which requires two
doses.
Nevertheless, 480,000 health workers have received the Johnson &
Johnson vaccine to date as part of Phase One of the programme.
As part of Phase Two, a further 1.5 million health workers and people
over the age of 60 have received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
This brings the total number of people who have received a vaccine dose
to almost 2 million.
The pace of vaccinations has steadily picked up, and we are now
vaccinating around 80,000 people a day at over 570 sites in the public and
private sector.
This number will grow rapidly in the weeks to come, as we aim to protect
as many vulnerable people as possible.
The problems with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have now been
resolved.
As a result of these problems, 2 million doses that had already been
produced are unusable.
The Aspen plant in Gqeberha in
the Eastern Cape is now able to go ahead and produce new doses.
The company has committed to significantly ramp up production and begin
supplying the country within the next few days.
We have to date received nearly 2.4 million Pfizer vaccine doses.
By the end of June, we expect to have received a total of 3.1 million
Pfizer doses.
We have received an indication from Johnson & Johnson that it
expects to deliver around 2 million vaccines to South Africa by the end of the
month.
The initial doses we receive from Johnson & Johnson will be used to
vaccinate educators in our schools and thereafter security personnel on the
frontline.
Now that the delays in the supply of vaccines is largely resolved, our
immediate task is to complete the vaccination of all those over 60 years of age
without delay.
It is estimated that we have the capacity at present to vaccinate at
least 150,000 people a day, and we are planning to increase that to 250,000 a
day as soon as possible.
I therefore call on every person in this country over the age of 60 to
register – whether online, by SMS, by phone or in person – and get vaccinated
without delay.
I call on everyone else, if you know someone over 60 years of age who
has not been vaccinated, please help them to register and get vaccinated.
As we see the rate of infection rise across the country, there is one
statistic that provides a clear reason for hope.
At a similar point in the rise of the second wave of infections
in early December last year, there were 640 health care workers infected by
COVID-19 over a seven day period.
In the last seven days, only 64 health care workers have been infected.
While it must be our unwavering determination to ensure that no health
care workers are infected, this is a significant reduction in infections, which
can be attributed to the success of the first phase of our vaccination
programme.
This is evidence that vaccines work.
It must motivate us to accelerate the roll-out of vaccines and to ensure
that all people who are eligible register and receive the vaccine.
Fifteen months ago, as I addressed the nation from the Union Buildings,
I said:
“This epidemic will pass.
“But it is up to us to determine how long it will last, how damaging it
will be, and how long it will take our economy and our country to recover.
“It is true that we are facing a grave emergency.
“But if we act together, if we act now, and if we act decisively, we
will overcome it.”
After all the time that has passed, after everything we have
experienced, after everything we have done and achieved as a nation, these
words still ring true.
We have endured so much as a nation and we have prevailed.
We will not be overwhelmed by uncertainty, fear or despondency.
We will not be daunted by the size or the complexity of the task before
us. We can now see a path towards overcoming this pandemic.
But there is still much that we need to do.
We have shown that we have the means and the will to fight this virus.
And I am more confident than ever that we will succeed.
God bless South Africa and protect her people.
I thank you.