Government considering new lockdown rules for South Africa ahead of third wave

The resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic in India has prompted the South African government to consider introducing additional measures in order to stave off a third wave, Bloomberg reports.

Health minister Zweli Mkhize told an online conference that a close eye was being kept on India, which has now the highest Covid-19 infection rate in the world.

“The challenges we have seen in India are very serious,” Mkhize said.

“We have received an advisory from the ministerial advisory council that we have to consider some restrictions and we are now going through that,” he said, without giving details.

President Cyril Ramaphosa eased coronavirus restrictions in March as the rate of new infections dropped, scrapping most limits on alcohol sales, shortening a night-time curfew and permitting larger public gatherings.

Covid-19 infections in Africa’s most-industrialised economy have fallen from about 22,000 a day in January to fewer than 1,000, even without a large-scale vaccination campaign.

On Thursday (29 April), South Africa reported 1,086 new cases, taking the total reported to 1,579,536.

Deaths have reached 54,331, while recoveries have climbed to 1,504,426, leaving the country with a balance of 20,779 active cases.  The number of Health Care Workers Vaccinated under the Sisonke Protocol to date is 307,591.

With Bloomberg

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