Restrictions could include longer curfew hours and gathering limits

Running the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in continental Africa, the Republic of South Africa seems set to tighten restrictions in anticipation of a third wave of the pandemic hitting the country in the coming days and weeks.

South Africa, which has confirmed 1.54 million coronavirus infections so far, is likely to extend the current curfew and tighten restrictions on public gatherings over the upcoming Easter holiday period in a bid to curb a third wave of coronavirus infections.

These new restrictions were discussed yesterday by a panel overseeing South Africa’s response to the pandemic.

The panel, at its meeting yesterday, discussed options to contain its spread, balancing the health risks against the economic fallout. Informed sources report that more stringent limits on when alcohol may be sold are also being considered as part of the soon-to-be implemented COVID-19 restrictions.

These informed sources pointed to the fact that the imposition on when alcohol may be sold was a measure that previously proved effective in discouraging social gatherings and alleviating pressure on trauma wards, which are becoming overcrowded with pandemic patients.

Groups opposing more restrictions

The risk of a surge in cases over the Easter, Pesach and Ramadan holidays, when millions of people travel and attend large gatherings, has spurred the panel into taking preemptive action. The impending restrictions are not without opposition as some religious groups and the alcohol industry, which have been hard hit by the restrictions, are hitting back at any contemplation of tightening the already existing restrictions.

There is widespread dissatisfaction among church leaders over the government’s virus response, because religious institutions conducted themselves responsibly and there was no evidence of services leading to a single large COVID-19 outbreak. A delegation of the leaders met with Ramaphosa last week and outlined how they would conduct services safely over the Easter weekend, including discouraging churchgoers from crossing provincial borders and only allowing churches to be filled to half their capacity, he said.

However, no final decisions have been made about tightening the already in forced restrictions. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has already declared that any changes will need to be signed-off from the Cabinet before being announced to come into effect.

The current restrictions have seen the imposition of a curfew between midnight and 4:00 a.m., allows alcohol sales outside of curfew hours and limits public gatherings to 100 people indoors and 250 people outdoors. South Africa has country has been slow off the mark to secure vaccines with just 220,129 people inoculated so far with 52,535 having died out of 1.5 million diagnosed with the disease.

New infections plummeting

On the positive side, new infections have plummeted since peaking in January with the country currently on its lowest virus alert level. While the government initially imposed one of the world’s strictest lockdowns after the pandemic struck in March last year, the authorities have been reluctant to re-impose several stringent measures that resulted in the economy contracting by the most in a century last year.