‘War is far from over’, health minister on rushing to end state of disaster
Under the current regulations, nearly all economic and social restrictions have been lifted, and civil liberties are unrestricted.
MINISTER of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, says before the country ends the National State of Disaster, there is a need to ensure there are enough measures in place to handle future Covid-19 waves.
His comments come after the extension of the National State of Disaster on Covid-19 until March 15.
“As we are exiting the fourth wave of Covid-19, everyone is eager for this pandemic to come to an end. The reality, however, is that while we have learned more about the virus, we have more weapons and the virus is seemingly getting weaker, the war is far from over,” he said.
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Phaahla said as the President stated in the State of the Nation Address (SONA), the country wants to get out of the disaster situation sooner rather than later.
He called for patience and cautioned against rushing to end the State of National Disaster.
“The truth is that a rash and precipitate declaration of victory can lead to severe repercussions as we have seen in other countries. We want to make sure that as we exit the disaster, we have enough cautions and measures to handle the next variant and wave,” he said.
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He urged the public to continue wearing masks at all times when in public, observe social distancing, wash hands regularly with soap or alcohol-based sanitiser and ensure they are in properly ventilated spaces.
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