It is a week since we declared the coronavirus pandemic a national disaster and announced a package of extraordinary measures to combat this grave public health emergency.Millions of our people have understood the gravity of the situation.
Many have had to make difficult choices and sacrifices, but all have been determined that these choices and sacrifices are absolutely necessary if our country is to emerge stronger from this disaster. We reiterate that the most effective way to prevent infection is through basic changes in individual behaviour and hygiene.wash hands frequently with hand sanitisers or soap and water for at least 20 seconds;avoid close contact with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms.Staying at home, avoiding public places and cancelling all social activities is the preferred best defence against the virus.When I addressed the nation last Sunday there were over 160,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide.
This is extremely dangerous for a population like ours, with a large number of people with suppressed immunity because of HIV and TB, and high levels of poverty and malnutrition.Those countries that have acted swiftly and dramatically have been far more effective in controlling the spread of the disease.
The nation-wide lockdown will be enacted in terms of the Disaster Management Act and will entail the following: Individuals will not be allowed to leave their homes except under strictly controlled circumstances, such as to seek medical care, buy food, medicine and other supplies or collect a social grant.
The nation-wide lockdown is necessary to fundamentally disrupt the chain of transmission across society. To ensure that hospitals are not overwhelmed, a system will be put in place for ‘centralised patient management’ for severe cases and ‘decentralised primary care’ for mild cases. Non-South Africans arriving on flights from high-risk countries we prohibited a week ago will be turned back.International travellers who arrived in South Africa after 9 March 2020 from high-risk countries will be confined to their hotels until they have completed a 14-day period of quarantine.
The Fund has a website – www.solidarityfund.co.za – and you can begin to deposit monies into the account tonight.
Will liquor stores be able to trade during lockdown?
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