Thread by @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa: We are now entering a new phase in the fight against the #COVID19 pandemic.

In the coming days, government will be rolling out a screening, testing, tracing and medical management programme on a huge scale.

President #Ramaphosa: Around 10,000 field workers will be visiting homes in villages, towns and cities to screen residents for COVID-19 symptoms.

People with symptoms will be referred to local clinics or mobile clinics for testing. #CoronaVirusSA

President #Ramaphosa: People who are infected with coronavirus, but who have no or moderate symptoms will remain in isolation at home or at a facility provided by government and those with severe symptoms will be transferred to hospitals.

#CoronaVirusSA

President #Ramaphosa: Using mobile technology, an extensive tracing system will be rapidly deployed to trace those who have been in contact with confirmed coronavirus cases and to monitor the geographical location of new cases in real time.

#CoronaVirusSA

President #Ramaphosa: This drive is far-reaching, it is intensive and it is unprecedented in scale. This grave health emergency is happening at a time when our economy is under great strain.

President #Ramaphosa: As the country went into lockdown, we received the news that the rating agency Moody’s had downgraded South Africa to a sub-investment grade.

President #Ramaphosa: This will significantly increase the cost of borrowing to fund government spending and will have a negative impact on the economy.

This development will not diminish in any way our response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

President #Ramaphosa: We are pushing ahead to implement the necessary health interventions and economic and social measures to contain the spread of the disease and alleviate its effects on our people.

President #Ramaphosa: Within the constraints of the current crisis, we remain committed to implementing structural economic reforms to address weak economic growth, constrained public finances and struggling state-owned enterprises.

President #Ramaphosa: We are working together with our social partners to identify further measures we can take to limit the damage on our economy, and to ensure that as we emerge from this pandemic we set our economy on a clear path of growth.

President #Ramaphosa: Even as our country faces deep and pressing challenges on several fronts, there is no doubt in my mind that we will prevail.

That is because South Africans have come together like never before to wage this struggle against this virus.

President #Ramaphosa: Many businesses and individuals are making financial and other contributions to this cause.