Coronavirus will most likely remain a threat in the country
for the next year or more, President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned.
In his weekly newsletter on Monday, Ramaphosa said that
South Africans must be prepared for a new way of living which will see the
fight against coronavirus forming part of their daily lives for the foreseeable
future.
He said this as he warned that the national lockdown eased
to level 4 to allow a number of businesses to operate will result in inevitable
increase in the number of infected people.
As of late Sunday, 10,015 people had been infected with the
novel Covid-19 in SA, with 194 dreported deaths.
“While there is still much about the pandemic that is
unknown, experts now agree that the virus will remain a threat to global public
health for some time,” Ramaphosa said.
“We must therefore be prepared to continue to live with the
coronavirus among us for a year or even more. We must be prepared for a new
reality in which the fight against Covid-19 becomes part o Health experts have
been studying the behaviour of the virus has affected the whole world and has
wreaked havoc in countries whose majority of population live hand to mouth.
In South Africa where majority are poor, unemployed and
work in informal economies, the lockdown, necessitated by the pandemic has
resulted in a lot more people relying on the state for aid such as food parcels
and grants.
Ramaphosa said that health experts have warned of a second
wave of infections as the lockdown is gradually eased.
He said that this called for a change in human behaviour
where people embraced social and physical distancing and wore masks.
“Even after lockdown – especially after lockdown – we will
still need to observe social distancing, wear face masks, wash hands regularly,
and avoid contact with other people. We will need to reorganise workplaces,
schools, universities, colleges, and other public places to limit transmission.
“We will need to adapt to new ways of worshipping,
socialising, exercising and meeting that minimise opportunities for the virus
to spread.”Ramaphosa also reiterated that the lockdown, which has been in
effected for almost six weeks, has bought the country time and has slowed down
the rate of infections which has saved many lives.
“The transition to the next phase of the coronavirus
response, that of recovery, will be more difficult than the present one. The
risk of infection outbreaks will increase. The demand on our clinics and
hospitals and medical personnel will grow."f our daily existence.” Sowetan
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