The National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) is considering a number of restrictions under the National State of Disaster. According to Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize, the current restrictions are being reviewed as the country looks to ease the current lockdown level from 2 to 1.
“In previous statements relating to restrictions under the National State of Disaster, we committed to reviewing these periodically as we reassess the state of the South African epidemic and this is indeed what we have done,” Mkhize said.
The Department of Health is considering easing the following restrictions:
– The evening curfew
– The current limitations around the sale of alcohol
– Limitations around religious gatherings
– Certain travel restrictions
Premier Alan Winde is meeting with the President’s Co-Ordinating Council on Tuesday [September 15] where the president, ministers and premiers from across the country will be discussing the next phase of lockdown. He is pushing for the lifting of the curfew, opening of international travel and saving jobs and businesses by allowing more economic activity.
“Whatever decisions are made, it is important to emphasise that the risk of spreading and contracting COVID-19 still remains and that non-pharmaceutical interventions remain important as we learn to co-exist with the coronavirus,” Mkhize said.
South Africa has reported under 3000 cases of COVID-19 per day since August 22, and this number is steadily declining on a daily basis.
“Supporting this decline is also a demonstrable decline in persons under investigation, general ward admissions, ICU admissions, deaths and excess deaths. Consistency across these indicators reassures us that indeed we are in the midst of a trough in the pandemic,” Mkhize said.
The discharge rate from hospitals was 75% while the in-hospital case fatality ratio was 17.5%. The median age for admissions was between 50 and 59 and the median age for deaths was between 60 and 69.
At the height of the pandemic, these hospitals were reporting between 6400 and 6800 admissions per week.
Picture: Twitter
