South Africa Tightens Lockdown Restrictions As Coronavirus Cases Increase
South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has introduced new lockdown restrictions which are aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the most hit African country.
Ramaphosa imposed a night-time curfew that would be in place from 21:00 to 04:00 banned the selling of alcohol and made it compulsory to wear masks outdoors.
He announced the development in a public address during which he acknowledged “most” people had taken action to help prevent the spread while some acted “without any responsibility to respect and protect each other”. He added:
There are a number of people who have taken to organising parties, who have drinking sprees, and some who walk around crowded spaces without wearing masks.
The alcohol ban comes just weeks after another three-month ban was lifted in an effort to prevent drunken fighting, cut domestic violence, and eliminate weekend binge-drinking prevalent across South Africa.
Ramaphosa said the alcohol ban would take the pressure off the national healthcare system.
The development comes when the country has just started preparing over a million graves for COVID-19 victims a move that made some believe the state is expecting fatalities to rise sharply.
More: ZBC News
