With the country a week into its 21-day lockdown, South Africans are getting to grips with their new reality, while government has revised its regulations for the lockdown period.
DAY 8 OF NATIONAL LOCKDOWN
BY THE NUMBERS
Last night, Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize announced that the number of coronavirus infections in the country were at 1,462 with 5 confirmed deaths.
There’s a total of 45 recoveries.
Globally: the number of infections has passed the grim milestone of 1 million.
LOCKDOWN REGULATIONS
It’s exactly 1 week since the lockdown in South Africa began.
Ministers representing the national command council have given an update on the revised regulations for the lockdown.
- Cellphone numbers can be used to trace people who are infected but this information will not be used to spy on people. Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams said the government was doing all it could to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the country, including the use of geolocation for contact tracing. Government’s use of geolocation via cellphones would speed up the process of contact tracing to locate a person who is infected and see who was around that individual.
- Immediate families and close friends will be allowed to travel to other provinces to bury their loved ones.
- Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said informal food traders were now allowed to trade. Dlamini-Zuma said informal traders must obtain a permit from their councillors before setting up shop.
- You still cannot buy cigarettes. Police Minister Bheki Cele says no province in the country was allowed to go against the national lockdown regulations with regards to the sale of cigarettes. He said that in reference to the Western Cape government’s decision to lift the ban on the sale of cigarettes in the province if they’re bought alongside essential goods.
- Repatriation between countries would now be allowed, which means “the minister or a person designated by him may allow a person to enter or exit the republic for emergency medical attention for a life-threatening condition”.
- Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu appealed to municipalities and private property owners to suspend evictions during the national lockdown following reports of evictions in the eThekwini Metro.