Ramaphosa extends level 4 lockdown for South Africa – here are the new restrictions

President Cyril Ramaphosa has extended South Africa’s level 4 lockdown for another 14 days, with restrictions remaining in place until 25 July.

In a national address on Sunday (11 July), Ramaphosa said that the last two weeks of restrictions were necessary to curb the third wave of infections in South Africa which has been caused by the Delta variant of Covid-19.

At present, the country has over 200,000 active Covid-19 cases, the president said. In the last two weeks over 4,200 South Africans have lost their lives to Covid-19.

“Our health system countrywide remains under pressure. By next week, daily hospital admissions across the country are likely to reach the levels observed during the peak of the first two waves.
Covid-19 related deaths in hospitals are also increasing, and have surpassed those observed at the peak of the first wave,” the president said.

While Gauteng is still the epicentre of these infections, Ramaposa said that cases are now surging in other provinces with the healthcare sector increasingly under strain. Infections are rapidly increasing in the Western Cape, Limpopo, North West, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, he said.

As a result, the president said that Cabinet after consultation with the provinces has decided to maintain the country at adjusted alert level 4 for an additional two weeks.

The following restrictions will remain in place:

• The evening curfew remains in place from 21h00 – 04h00, and only those with permission to do so may leave their homes during this time;
• All social, religious, and political gatherings remain prohibited;
• Schools will remain closed until 26 July;
• The sale of alcohol remains prohibited.

However, Ramaphosa said that some restrictions will be eased for some businesses. These include:

• Restaurants and eateries will be able to operate as normal while observing strict protocols – Such establishments may not accommodate more than 50 people at a time or, for smaller venues, more than 50% of their normal capacity;
• Certain other venues such as gyms and fitness centres may also reopen;
• Agricultural activities such as livestock auctions will be permitted.

The president said that Cabinet has decided that all business licenses and permits that expired between March 2020 and June 2021 will remain valid until 31 December 2022.

South Africa reported 16,302 new cases on Sunday, taking the total number of active reported cases to 208,709.

Up to 53,653 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours which represents a 30.4% positivity rate.  A further 151 Covid-19 related deaths have been reported, taking total fatalities to 64,289 to date.

Financial relief

The Unemployment Insurance Fund has decided to extend the Covid-19 TERS scheme to businesses that have been impacted by the adjusted level 4 lockdown.

The full details of the businesses and sectors that qualify will be published in a gazette shortly, Ramaphosa said.

The president said that all business permits and licences will also remain valid until 31 December 2022.

Read: Restaurants, gyms and other small businesses under severe strain as lockdown bites: property group