Johannesburg: In the wake of the rapidly increasing cases of Covid-19, South Africa has again imposed strict restrictions in the country by taking steps like banning the sale of alcohol and implementing a night curfew. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa made an announcement in this regard on Sunday night. He said that it appears that the reason for the increasing cases of infection in South Africa is the ‘delta’ form of the coronavirus that was first detected in India.
More than 15,000 new cases of infection were reported in South Africa on Sunday and 122 more people died. So far, about 60,000 people have died due to infection in the country. Many provinces of the country are facing a shortage of beds in hospitals. Cases are also increasing rapidly in Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Mozambique. Addressing the nation, Ramaphosa said, “The third wave is gaining momentum.” He said that all public gatherings would be banned for two weeks. During this, only funerals will be allowed, but not more than 50 people will be able to attend them. He appealed to the people to wear masks and maintain social distance.
The President pointed out that South Africa’s vaccination rate is slowly gaining momentum. Till Sunday, 27 lakh people had received one dose in the country. More than 950,000 of South Africa’s 1.250,000 health care workers have been vaccinated. He said the supply of Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines is increasing. South Africa aims to vaccinate 67 percent of its 60 million people by February 2022.
