President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed that the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) will again be meeting to assess the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
New cases in South Africa have surged by nearly five-fold over the past few weeks alone, increasing from a positivity rate of around 2% to about 25%.
According to Ramaphosa, he will soon be convening a meeting of the NCCC to review the state of the pandemic as this will enable the government to take further measures that are needed to keep people safe and healthy.
Ramaphosa said although the steep rise in infections is a concern, the surge and the emergence of new variants like Omicron were to be expected.
“Disease modellers in our country have told us that we would likely experience a fourth wave around this time and that it was almost inevitable that new variants of the virus would emerge,” Ramaphosa expressed.
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However, ahead of the meeting with the NCCC, Ramaphosa urged people living in South Africa to take extra care and “not wait” for government to issue stricter guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus.
“We should not wait for new regulations before we reduce the size of the gatherings, as research has shown this to be an effective means of reducing the spread of the virus.
“All public and private facilities, including workplaces, taxis, buses and trains, must ensure adequate ventilation to prevent the spread of the virus,” Ramaphosa said.
He added that as cases continue to rise, the cancellation of big events during the festive season remains by far the safest and most responsible thing to do now.
“Scientists in our country and around the world are still hard at work to answer critical questions about the new Omicron variant, such as its transmissibility, its progression, whether it causes more severe disease and how effective vaccines will be against it,” Ramaphosa reiterated.
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Picture: Cape {town} Etc gallery