DA’s Steenhuisen: Impact Of COVID-19 To Be Felt For At Least 2 Years

Democratic Alliance (DA) interim leader John Steenhuisen said south Africans must brace themselves to live with the impact of COVID-19 for at least two years.

Steenhuisen on Tuesday said treatment or a vaccine for the pandemic was a long way from being found.

He said this meant citizens and government needed to find practical ways to move on in the meantime.

It’s no secret the DA has been opposed to what it calls a “hard lockdown” imposed by President Cyril Ramaphosa last month.

The party said since there was no indication when the coronavirus would be defeated, the country could not be on lockdown for much longer.

Steenhusien said there were ways to re-open some industries without risking lives and people losing more jobs.

“It’s going to come down to managing the virus, obviously we are hoping that the president is going to announce a big bold stimulus package and we hope he is going to take on board the suggestions that we have put on about the economy.”

The leader of the opposition said they were expecting Ramaphosa will on Tuesday night announce plans to kick start the economy again before it totally collapsed.

EWN