Africa-Press – South-Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa and the country’s nine premiers and the mayors of major cities are deciding on the nation’s next move in the fight against Covid-19.
The President’s Coordinating Council meeting on Tuesday takes place against the backdrop of the decision to extend the National State of Disaster to 15 April.
The National State of Disaster was first declared nearly 24 months ago, at the end of March 2020.
While the National State of Disaster was initially set to lapse on 15 June 2020, legislation provided that it could be extended by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma by notice in the Government Gazette for one month at a time.
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Despite calls from scientists, experts and opposition politicians, the extension was approved.
On Monday, South Africa recorded 566 new Covid-19 infections. Four new deaths have been recorded, bringing the confirmed death toll to 99 890.
According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, the 566 new cases represent a 3.9% positivity rate.
So far, more than 33 million vaccine doses have been administered.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said he would use the meeting to lobby Ramaphosa to end the National State of Disaster immediately.
“South Africans, especially those who are unemployed, should not have to wait until 15 April (and likely longer) because the national government has simply not done their job in time, despite having months to prepare. It is concerning to me that despite public utterances that the priority of the national government is to create jobs, its actions seem to show otherwise. It’s time to bridge this gap and show the courage needed to get our economy growing again,” Winde said.
Winde said the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism conducted a poll among businesses about the impact of lockdown.
“81% of respondents cited major disruption to their businesses over the last 18 months, 12% of respondents indicated moderate disruption. Eighty-five percent of respondents indicated that their revenue was impacted upon by Covid-19 in the last 18 months,” Winde added.
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Winde said businesses and households had been hit hard.
“The president is also wrong if he thinks that the status quo is not hurting the economy, and these are merely health regulations. The events industry, in particular, continues to be impacted by a non-sensical restriction on the size of gatherings. Many countries lifted these restrictions some time ago,” he said.
Winde also said amid load shedding and the global impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, ending these regulations will send the right message to the economy.
“It is now time to walk the talk without any further delays. It is time to lift the National State of Disaster immediately,” he said.
The DA has also approached the court to force government to end the National State of Disaster.
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