In the face of a deteriorating economic situation, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has opted to ease lockdown restrictions further even though Coronavirus cases are beginning to rise rapidly. In the past week alone, the number has increased by 37%
But in a frank address to the nation, the president highlighted the need to preserve peoples’ livelihoods.
Lockdown as a result, he said that parts of the leisure industry will re-open soon. At the end of March, the country entered into one of the strictest lockdown regimes in the world, almost all movement outside was restricted and the sale of cigarettes and alcohol was banned.
Those measures have been credited with slowing the initial spread of Covid-19 and, as Mr. Ramaphosa said, gave the health sector valuable time to prepare for an influx of patients.
