from IOL Reporter 
1 hour ago
Cape Town – South Africa will move to a level 1 blockade with immediate effect, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Sunday evening.
The country has now clearly passed the second wave, Ramaphosa said. He praised public health measures and changes in public behavior for reducing infections.
Warning that easing restrictions will have to be done carefully,
This means that curfew hours change at midnight to 4 am and public gatherings – including political, social and religious – are once again allowed, but limited to 100 people for indoor gatherings and 250 for outdoor events – where the country allows.
Gathering after funerals, commonly known as after tears, is still not allowed, the president said.
Sales of alcohol for both domestic and international consumption will be allowed during normal trading hours before the block, provided that this is outside the stopping hours.
The land borders that were closed during the blockade will remain the same and only five airports will be open for international flights.
Ramaphosa warned that wearing masks remains mandatory.
The president also gave a nod to the country’s scientific community, which has been at the forefront of research being conducted.
South African scientists and researchers have made a significant contribution to the global recognition of the virus, Ramaphosa said.
More than 1.5 million people have been infected with Covid-19 and nearly 50,000 have died from complications from the virus.
The spread of vaccines is underway
South Africa on Saturday received its second shipment of 80,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccines and so far about 67,000 front-line healthcare workers have already been vaccinated. However, at least 40 million people will need to be vaccinated before South Africa can hope to achieve herd immunity.
The government has provided 11 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine and 20 million doses of Pfizer vaccine and is in the process of securing 12 million doses of the vaccine from Covax, Ramaphosa said.
According to Professor Ian Sanne, while both the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have been found to be effective against the dominant variant of Covid-19 in SA, the logistics involved in storing and transporting both change drastically.
The Pfizer vaccine should be kept between -80C and -60C, Salle said.
The country has been under blockade for 11 months since the first local issue of Covid-19 was confirmed on March 5th.
IOL
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