JOHANNESBURG (AP) – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has re-imposed a ban on the sale of alcohol and ordered the closure of all bars as part of new restrictions to help the country fight the resurgence of the coronavirus, including a new variant.
On Monday night, in a nationwide speech, Ramaphosa also announced the closure of all public beaches and swimming pools in the country’s infection points, which include Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and several coastal areas.
South Africa will extend the night curfew, so all residents will have to be home from 9pm to 6am, the president said.
The president said it is mandatory to wear masks and that anyone found not wearing a mask in a public place will be subject to a fine or a criminal charge punishable by a possible prison sentence.
THIS IS A LATEST NEWS UPDATE. The previous AP story follows, below.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) – With a new rise bringing South Africa’s cumulative virus cases to over 1 million, doctors in the country are urging the government to once again restrict restrictions on social gatherings and alcohol sales to slow the spread of the disease.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has held an emergency meeting of the National Coronavirus Command Board and announced that he will speak with the nation on Monday night.
The country surpassed $ 1 million on Sunday night when it reported 1,004,413 cumulative cases of COVID-19, including 26,735 deaths.
According to experts, South Africa is fighting a variant of COVID-19 that is more infectious and has become dominant in many parts of the country.
The South African Medical Association, representing doctors, nurses and health workers in the country, warned on Monday that the health system is about to be overwhelmed by the combination of a higher number of people with COVID-19 and people in urgent need of alcohol related incidents. Many festive gatherings during the holidays involve high levels of alcohol consumption, which in turn often lead to an increase in trauma cases.
“To alleviate the pressure on the system during this time of year, where we only have skeleton staff working, especially in the public and private sectors, we call for stricter restrictions in relation to social gatherings,” said Angelique Coetzee, va tell The Associated Press the president of the medical association.
“South Africa has a history of alcohol abuse and excessive alcohol consumption, especially on weekends. In certain areas, there are many cases of trauma, assault, motor vehicle accidents and domestic violence, ”he said.
The organization has called on the government to impose stricter restrictions on the sale of alcohol, especially when it comes to large meetings.
When South Africa completely banned the sale of alcoholic beverages, according to the government, trauma cases in hospitals dropped to 60%. statistics. When the ban on the sale of alcohol was lifted, trauma cases returned to previous levels.
Seeing the resurgence of the disease in early December, South Africa limited alcohol sales from Monday to Thursday between 10am and 6pm. The country also has a night curfew between 11pm and 4am.
Several alcohol traders have called on the government to avoid a total ban on the sale of alcohol, citing the economic damage it would cause. South Africa’s alcohol industry was one of the hardest hit when the country imposed a harsh blockade during the months of April and May, banning all liquor sales.
The rotating daily average of 7 days of new cases in South Africa has increased in the last two weeks, from 11.18 new cases per 100,000 people on December 13 to 19.87 new cases per 100,000 people on December 27. December.
The average seven-day daily death toll in the country has risen in the past two weeks, from 0.26 deaths per 100,000 people on December 13 to 0.49 deaths per 100,000 people on December 27.