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- President Cyril Ramaphosa says the country is still in the middle of a deadly pandemic and should remain vigilant.
- The country moves to Level 2 from midnight on Monday.
- He said the "second wave" of infections that several other countries had experienced was a possibility for South Africa.
As South Africa moves from Level 3 to Level 2 of the national lockdown from midnight on Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged citizens to remain vigilant, saying there is always a chance of resurgence of the coronavirus.
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Ramaphosa said, with more than half a million confirmed cases, the country still had the fifth highest number of infections in the world.
"If we ever need a stark reminder of the need for vigilance, we should look to recent events thousands of kilometres away in New Zealand.
"Three months since the country was declared coronavirus-free, New Zealand is once again under lockdown. Although the latest outbreak was of relatively few cases, the government swiftly re-imposed lockdown restrictions," he said.
He said similar restrictions had to be re-imposed in several parts of Europe as they experienced a "second wave" of infections.
READ | Lockdown: Level 2 officially starts on Tuesday morning
"These experiences show just how swiftly things can change when it comes to Covid-19.
"It is a wake-up call to any among us who may harbour illusions that we are even close to seeing the end of this grave public health emergency."
He said the "second wave" of infections that several other countries had experienced was a possibility for South Africa too.
"Although many restrictions have been lifted, it does not mean they will not return should we experience a significant rise in infections. This pandemic is a matter of life and death. We need to adapt, and we need to be vigilant."
The president, however, said there were signs of hope. He said the number of new confirmed cases in the country continued to decline.
'A sobering reality'
"At the peak of the disease just one month ago, we were recording around 12 000 new cases a day. This has dropped to an average of around 5 000 a day over the past week. Our recovery rate stands at 80%."
Ramaphosa said, as the country moved to Level 2, many restrictions on social and economic activities would be lifted, and with that came the increased risk of transmission.
"We now need to manage this risk and ensure the gains we have made thus far in containing the pandemic’s spread are not reversed. The greatest threat to the health of [the] nation right now is complacency."
He said:
He said many of those who have the virus did not have symptoms and may not know they were infected.
"This is a sobering reality because it means that any of us could be infected right now and could unwittingly infect others.
"This is particularly the case when visiting relatives, especially the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions that render them vulnerable to infection. It is also true for attending religious services or cultural activities."
He said in the coming days, weeks and months, the country should urgently focus efforts on recovery.
"Our economy and our society has suffered a great deal. As we return to economic activity across almost all industries – and work to repair the damage done – we have a responsibility to not let our guard down as individuals, employers, communities, families, professionals, workers and citizens."
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