JOHANNESBURG (AP) – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has reintroduced 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 the coronavirus, including a new variant.
Ramaphosa also announced the closure of all beaches and public swimming pools in the country’s infection hotspots, including Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and several coastal areas. In addition, South Africa is extending its curfew by four hours, requiring all residents to be home from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., the president said.
“Reckless behavior due to alcohol intoxication has contributed to increased transmission. Alcohol-related accidents and violence are putting pressure on our hospitals’ emergency services, ”Ramaphosa said in a nationwide speech.
“As we had to do in the early days of the lockdown, 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 alcohol sales ban and other new restrictions would take effect at midnight. They include the mandatory wearing of masks in public, and anyone who does not wear a mask in a public place will be subject to a fine or criminal prosecution punishable by a possible jail term, the president said.
Ramaphosa said the increased restrictions are necessary because of an increase in COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed virus cases in South Africa to more than 1 million.
“Nearly 27,000 South Africans are known to have been killed by COVID-19. The number of new coronavirus infections is increasing at an unprecedented rate, ”he said. “More than 50,000 new cases have been reported since Christmas Eve.”
Ramaphosa announced the new measures after a cabinet meeting and an emergency meeting of the National Coronavirus Command Council. He said the new restrictions would be revised in a few weeks and that relaxation would only be considered if the number of new cases and hospital admissions declines.
The country crossed the 1 million mark in confirmed virus cases on Sunday evening when authorities reported that the total number of cases in the country during the pandemic had reached 1,004,413, including 26,735 deaths.
Like Great Britain, South Africa is fighting a variant of COVID-19 that medical experts say is more contagious than the original. The variant has become dominant in many parts of the country, according to experts.
The South African Medical Association, which represents nurses and other health professionals as well as doctors, warned Monday that the health system was on the verge of being overwhelmed by the combination of a greater number of COVID-19 patients and those in need of urgent alcohol care. related incidents. Many holiday gatherings drink a lot of alcohol, which in turn often leads to more cases of trauma.
“In order to ease the pressure on the system at this time of year, when we only have skeletal workers, especially in the public sector, but also in the private sector, we are asking for stricter restrictions on social gatherings,” Angelique Coetzee, said. the president of the medical association at The Associated Press.
“South Africa has a history of very high alcohol and binge drinking, especially on weekends. In certain areas this leads to a lot of trauma, assaults, motor vehicle accidents and domestic violence, ”she said.
The medical association has called on the government to impose stricter restrictions on the sale of alcohol, especially when it comes to large gatherings.
When South Africa previously had a blanket ban on the sale of spirits, trauma cases in hospitals fell by as much as 60%, according to government statistics. When the ban on alcohol sales was lifted, trauma cases went back to previous levels.
Amid a resurgence of COVID-19 in early December, South Africa restricted alcohol sales to Monday through Thursday between 10am and 6pm. The country also has a curfew from 11pm to 4am.
Several alcohol dealers had argued with the government to avoid a blanket 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 hard lockdown in April and May that also banned all beverage sales.
The 7-day moving average of confirmed daily cases in South Africa has increased in the past 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.
The 7-day moving average of daily deaths in the country has increased from 0.26 deaths per 100,000 people on December 13 to 0.49 deaths per 100,000 people on December 27 in the past two weeks.
Ramaphosa urged people to avoid New Year’s Eve gatherings. Instead, he asked all South Africans to light candles.
“I will light a candle at exactly midnight on New Year’s Eve in Cape Town in memory of those who lost their lives and in tribute to those who work on the front lines to save our lives and protect us from harm,” he said. “I ask you to join me wherever you are in this very important symbolic gesture.”