A special Cabinet meeting held earlier today, 30 December 2021, has approved several changes to the Adjusted Alert Level 1 COVID-19 regulations.
This follows meetings of the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) and the President’s Coordinating Council (PCC), which received updates on the management of the current 4th wave of COVID-19 in South Africa, which is mainly driven by the Omicron variant.
COVID-19 Update:
The information gathered through the system used by the Department of Health has reported a 29.7% decrease in the number of new cases detected in the week ending 25 Dec 2021 (89,781), compared to the number of new cases detected in the previous week (127,753).
All indicators suggest the country may have passed the peak of the fourth wave at a national level."
Cases declined in all provinces except the Western Cape and Eastern Cape, which recorded increases of 14% and 18%, respectively. There has been a decline in hospital admissions in all provinces except the Western Cape.
While the Omicron variant is highly transmissible, there has been lower rates of hospitalisation than in previous waves. This means that the country has a spare capacity for admission of patients even for routine health services.
Changes to COVID-19 regulations:
Based on the trajectory of the pandemic, the levels of vaccination in the country and the available capacity within the health sector, Cabinet has decided to make the following changes to Adjusted Alert Level 1 with immediate effect:
-The curfew will be lifted. There will therefore be no restrictions on the hours of movement of people.
-Gatherings are restricted to no more than 1 000 people indoors and no more than 2 000 people outdoors.
Where the venue is too small to accommodate these numbers with appropriate social distancing, then no more than 50 per cent of the capacity of the venue may be used. All other restrictions remain in place.
The risk of increase in infections is still high given the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant. Government calls on all organisers of these gatherings to ensure that all health protocols are observed at all times and that all attendees are encouraged to be vaccinated.
-Alcohol establishments that have licences to operate beyond 23h00 will revert back to full licence conditions.
The NCCC will continue to closely monitor the situation and will make further adjustments as necessary, particularly if pressure on health facilities increases.
The wearing of masks in public places is still mandatory, and failure to wear a mask when required remains a criminal offence.
South Africans are urged to continue observing basic health protocols to prevent the transmission of the virus.
Vaccination remains the best defence against severe illness, hospitalisation and death from COVID-19. All people in South Africa who have not yet done so are encouraged to vaccinated as soon as possible. This includes people who are eligible for booster shots.
Parents are reminded to support their children aged 12 years and older to use this opportunity to vaccinate before schools open. This will avoid learners losing school time as a result of testing positive or as a result of contact with people infected with COVID-19.
Government wishes to commend all South Africans who have observed the health regulations and protocols over the festive season. Government urges everyone to continue to act cautiously and responsibly over the new year and for the remainder of the holiday season."
Issued by the Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
PRESIDENT HONOURS ANGLICAN ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU WITH SPECIAL
OFFICIAL FUNERAL CATEGORY 1
President @CyrilRamaphosa has, as a mark of deep respect, declared that the late Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu be accorded a Special Official Funeral – Category 1.
The Archbishop, a globally venerated theologian, anti-apartheid campaigner and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, passed away on Sunday, 26 December 2021. The Special Official Funeral will take place in St George’s Cathedral, Cape Town, on New Year’s Day, Saturday, 1 January 2022.
Desmond Tutu was the first black cleric to be elected as the Bishop of Johannesburg before being inaugurated in 1986 as the first black cleric to become Archbishop of Cape Town.
The Presidency has noted media reports on an Afrobarometer survey on public perceptions of corruption in society, in which a majority of the respondents felt that corruption had worsened over the last year.
The results of the survey no doubt reflect the lived experiences of many South Africans who continue to encounter corruption in various forms. This could be in accessing frontline government services or businesses seeking procurement opportunities with the state.
Corruption, whether large or small, remains one of the greatest challenges facing our country, holding back economic growth and social development. Corruption robs citizens both directly & indirectly, and undermines confidence in the institutions that are supposed to serve them.
President #Ramaphosa: My Fellow South Africans, We have lost many lives to this pandemic.
Many of us have had to bid farewell to a loved one, a friend or a colleague.
President #Ramaphosa: As we look back on a year of much pain and sorrow, it is important as a nation that we should honour and remember all those who have succumbed to this disease.
President #Ramaphosa: It will be appropriate that during the #16DaysofActivism for No Violence against Women & Children – which is the second pandemic we are confronting – we demonstrate remembrance of all those who have departed due to #COVID19 pandemic & gender-based violence.