All indications are that SA will move to level 1 of the Covid-19 lockdown, which would be likely to result in international borders being opened and the curfew falling away.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to address the nation this week on the easing of the lockdown, as SA’s national state of disaster has been extended for another month until October 15.
On Monday night, health minister Zweli Mkhize said evidence suggested a sustained decline in coronavirus transmission. He said that since August 22, SA had reported fewer than 3,000 new cases a day. At the height of the epidemic during the month of July it reported anything between 10,000 and 15,000 new cases a day.
“As the department of health, we have considered easing restrictions in various aspects — such as the curfew, sale of alcohol, religious gatherings, and travel restrictions — for the national coronavirus command council, which will make final recommendations to cabinet,” Mkhize said.
He said, however, that whatever the decision, it was still important to emphasise the risk of spreading and contracting Covid-19.
Though life in SA could go back to near normal at level 1, health protocols such as wearing masks, social distancing and sanitising would remain.
The six-month lockdown has had a devastating effect on SA's already weak economy, with Stats SA last week revealing that it shrank at an annualised rate of 51% during the second quarter, the worst quarterly collapse on record. If the second-quarter results are not annualised, GDP contracted by 16.4%.
The country went into complete lockdown at the end of March, shutting down the majority of the economy except for essential services. The risk-adjusted strategy used to curb the spread of the coronavirus has gradually been eased with the country moving to level 2 in August, which finally saw most the economy reopened.
The DA has called on Ramaphosa to to end the curfew, open all sectors of the economy, and allow for international travel and a normal school week.
On Tuesday, Ramaphosa was chairing a virtual meeting of the president’s co-ordinating council (PCC), which he co-chairs with deputy president David Mabuza and is made up of ministers, premiers and leaders from the SA Local Government Association.
The presidency said the delegates were expected to deliberate on a report by the national coronavirus command council on the country’s response to the pandemic.
Western Cape premier Alan Winde, in a video made before the PCC meeting, said that he would be asking the president to lift the curfew, give clarity on international travel and fully reopen the economy.
“We need a date that international travel opens in October so that bookings can be made by international travellers who want to come to our country for business or vacation over the next few months,” he said.
“We need to ensure that we open up the rest of the economy, our events, sporting businesses and churches must be able to open up more carrying capacity, but of course we all need to do and have opening up in a safe, responsible way.”
Wits vaccinologist Shabir Madhi, who is among the scientists advising the government on Covid-19, said earlier this week that he saw “very little reason” for SA’s borders to remain closed.
“Opening the borders is likely to have a nominal effect. We are not like New Zealand or Iceland, island nations that have truly contained the virus — ours is disseminated. A few visitors are not going to lead to massive outbreaks ... especially if they adhere to the NPI (non-pharmaceutical intervention) practices we recommend for SA,” he said in a webinar hosted by Daily Maverick.
So far there was no evidence that emerging mutations in Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, were more infectious, and imported strains of the virus were unlikely to have any meaningful effect on transmission, he said.
Ramaphosa will also be chairing a meeting of the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) meeting on Tuesday on the progress towards finalising the national economic recovery plan.
The easing of the lockdown is also likely to be discussed at this meeting.
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