JOHANNESBURG (AP) – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has reintroduced a ban on alcohol sales 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 evening, Ramaphosa also announced in a nationwide speech the closure of all beaches and public swimming pools in the country’s infection hotspots, including Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and several coastal areas.
South Africa is extending the curfew so that all residents must be home from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., the president said.
The president said the wearing of masks is mandatory and that anyone who does not wear a mask in a public place will face a fine or a criminal prosecution punishable by a possible jail term.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Below is AP’s earlier story.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) – With a new wave pushing South Africa’s cumulative virus cases above 1 million, the country’s doctors are urging the government to return to tougher restrictions on social gatherings and the sale of alcohol to slow the spread of the disease.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has held an emergency meeting of the National Coronavirus Command Council and announced that he will speak with the nation on Monday evening.
The country crossed the 1 million mark on Sunday evening when it reported 1,004,413 cumulative cases of COVID-19, including 26,735 deaths.
South Africa is fighting a variant of COVID-19 that is more contagious and has become dominant in many parts of the country, according to experts.
The South African Medical Association, which represents the country’s doctors, nurses and health workers, warned on Monday that the health system is on the verge of being overwhelmed by the combination of a greater number of people with COVID-19 and those in need of urgent care due to alcohol-related incidents. Many festive gatherings during the holidays drink a lot of alcohol, which in turn often leads to more 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 organization has called on the government to impose stricter restrictions on the sale of alcohol, especially when it comes to large gatherings.
When South Africa had a total ban on the sale of liquor, trauma cases in hospitals fell by as much as 60%, according to the government? statistics. When the ban on alcohol sales was lifted, trauma cases went back to previous levels.
When South Africa saw a resurgence of the disease in early December, alcohol sales were limited to Monday through Thursday between 10am and 6pm. The country also has a curfew between 11pm and 4am.
Several alcohol dealers have pleaded with the government to avoid a blanket ban on the sale of alcohol, citing the economic damage this would cause. South Africa’s alcohol industry was one of the hardest hit when the country imposed a hard lockdown in April and May and banned all beverage sales.
The 7-day moving average of daily new cases in South Africa has increased over 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.