Covid-19 state of disaster: D-Day to move to October 15
Government may elect to implement another extension.
Following a virtual cabinet meeting on Thursday, government announced that South Africa’s state of disaster will be extended once more.
It was first declared on March 15 in response to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa. In terms of the Disaster Management Act, the Act provides that the state of disaster may be extended by the minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) for one month at a time.
Government may elect to implement another extension after October 15. According to WIlliams, the aim is to continue giving effect to lockdown regulations that restrict the movement and activities of residents in order to curb the spread of the virus.
These regulations have been implemented at different levels. Level 5 regulations were incredibly strict and have been relaxed over time. The country is currently functioning under level 2 regulations.
A recent drop in the nationwide number of confirmed new Covid-19 cases has been welcomed by government, as was the improved recovery rate of 88.9%.
ALSO READ: Covid-19: Recovery rate increases to 88.9%, 2 007 new cases reported
During his previous address, President Cyril Ramaphosa indicated that a further relaxation will be on the cards if a sufficient and sustained drop in Covid-19 figures is observed.
Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
