President Cyril Ramaphosa Extends South Africa Lockdown with 14 More Days

President Cyril Ramaphosa is addressing the nation on the continuing efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

The president said there were 1,934 cases of Covid-19 in South Africa on Thursday and the lockdown had slowed down the rate of increase, which he said: "does represent real progress".

Ramaphosa said that if the government ended the lockdown too soon, the progress gained would be lost. He called on South Africans to be willing to endure another 14 days.

The president said that he, the deputy president and other public office bearers, including premiers, had said they would take a one-third pay cut over the next three months as a donation to the Solidarity Fund.

"You have understood that we must do everything in our power to prevent the massive loss of life that would occur if we did not act. For your cooperation, for your commitment and above all for your patience, I wish to thank you personally."
He called on the country to make an even greater sacrifice to save thousands of lives, though he acknowledged the harm that was happening in the economy.

The president said the coronavirus crisis had worsened over the past two weeks, particularly worldwide, with health systems "overwhelmed".

President Cyril Ramaphosa

"Two weeks ago, there were 340,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the world. We now have over 1.5 million confirmed cases worldwide. Over 90,000 people across the world have died from this disease."

He said the decision to institute the lockdown had been "correct and timely" and "there is sufficient evidence to show that the lockdown is working".

The average daily increase had dropped to just 4% because of the lockdown.
"We are only at the beginning of a monumental struggle that demands our every resource and our every effort. We cannot relax. We cannot be complacent.

"The measures we have taken – such as closing our borders and prohibiting gatherings – and the changes that we have each had to make in our own behaviour, have definitely slowed the spread. But the struggle against the coronavirus is far from over."

Ramaphosa said that in the coming weeks and months, "we must massively increase the extent of our response and expand the reach of our interventions".

The president's address followed a meeting of the National Coronavirus Command Council held yesterday, 8 April 2020 and consultations that the president held during the course of the day with various social partners during the course of the day.

This article will be updated during the address. - The Citizen