Lockdown to prevent ‘hundreds of thousands’ of Covid-19 cases: Ramaphosa
Only a drastic lock-down can prevent SA from having “hundreds of thousands” of Covid-19 cases within weeks.
This was the dire warning from President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday night, as he explained his government’s decision to act swiftly and decisively in implementing the 21-day lock down – which starts from midnight on Thursday.
“In South Africa, the number of confirmed cases has increased sixfold in just eight days, from 61 cases to 402 cases. This number will continue to rise. It is clear from the development of the disease in other countries, and from our own modelling, that immediate, swift and extraordinary action is required if we are to prevent a human catastrophe of enormous proportions in our country,” he said.
“Our fundamental task at this moment is to contain the spread of the disease.