JOHANNESBURG (AP) – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has re-imposed a ban on the sale of alcohol and ordered the closure of all bars on Monday as part of new restrictions to help the country fight the resurgence of alcohol. coronavirus, including a new variant.
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. In addition, South Africa is extending the night curfew by four hours, requiring all residents to be home from 9pm to 6am, the president said.
“Reckless behavior due to alcohol intoxication has helped increase transmission. Alcohol-related accidents and violence are putting pressure on our hospital emergency units, ”Ramaphosa said in a nationwide speech.
“As we had to do in the early days of closure, we now need to flatten the curve to protect the capacity of our healthcare system so that it can respond effectively to this new wave of infections,” he said.
Ramaphosa said the ban on selling alcohol and other new restrictions would take effect at midnight. They include the mandatory use of masks in public, and anyone who does not find a mask in a public place will be subject to a fine or a criminal charge punishable by a possible prison sentence, the president said.
Ramaphosa said the increase in restrictions is necessary due to an increase in COVID-19 infections that has brought the total number of confirmed cases of South African viruses to over one million.
“Almost 27,000 South Africans are known to have died from COVID-19. The number of new coronavirus infections is growing at an unprecedented rate,” he said. “More than 50,000 new cases have been reported since the Christmas night”.
Ramaphosa announced the new measures after a cabinet meeting and an emergency meeting of the National Coronavirus Command Board. He said the new restrictions would be reviewed in a few weeks and that relaxation would only be taken into account when new cases and hospitalizations decreased.
The country surpassed the figure of 1 million in confirmed cases of virus on Sunday night, when authorities reported that the total cases in the country during the pandemic had reached 1,004,413, including 26,735 deaths.
Like Britain, South Africa is fighting a variant of COVID-19 that medical experts consider more infectious than the original. According to experts, the variant has become dominant in many parts of the country.
The South African Medical Association, which represents nurses and other health workers as well as doctors, warned on Monday that the health system was about to be overwhelmed by the combination of more patients with COVID-19 and people who needed urgent alcohol attention. related incidents. Many holiday meetings 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 medical association has called on the government to impose stricter restrictions on the sale of alcohol, especially when it comes to large meetings.
When South Africa previously had a total ban on liquor sales, trauma cases in hospitals dropped to 60%, according to government statistics. When the ban on the sale of alcohol was lifted, trauma cases returned to previous levels.
Amid a resurgence of COVID-19 in early December, South Africa capped alcohol sales from Monday to Thursday between 10am and 6pm. The country also has a night curfew from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Several alcohol traders had advocated with 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 that also banned all liquor sales.
The continued average of 7 confirmed days in South Africa of cases 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.
Ramaphosa urged people to avoid New Year’s Eve meetings. Instead, he called on all South Africans to light candles.
“I will light a candle in Cape Town exactly at midnight on New Year’s Eve in memory of those who have lost their lives and in honor of those who are on the front line working to save our lives and protect us from harm.” , he said. “I ask you to accompany me wherever you are, in this important symbolic gesture.”