Newly-appointed chairperson of the Presidential Advisory Committee on COVID-19, professor Barry Schoub says they are concerned that complacency could lead to a stronger, second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
On Wednesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa warned that the country needed to guard against a second wave of the pandemic.
He announced that South Africa would move to alert level one of the lockdown with effect from Sunday at midnight.
In the video below, South Africa moves to Lockdown level one on Monday:
It will see the easing of restrictions on public gatherings with 250 people now being allowed to attend indoor gatherings and 500 people for outdoor gatherings.
The number of people attending funerals has also been increased to 100 while night vigils remain prohibited.
Below are Alert Level one lockdown restrictions:
Schoub, who has taken over from professor Abdul Karim, says the pandemic might be coming down but many people remain vulnerable to contracting the virus.
“There’s still quite a massive virus in the population and the majority of patients still remain susceptible.”
In the video below, latest information on the coronavirus:
Meanwhile, the Health Professionals Council of South Africa says it’s concerned that the country’s authorities are trivialising the medical profession.
This after the killing of anaesthetist Doctor Abdulhay Munshi near his home in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
He was a co-accused in a culpable homicide case with paediatric surgeon Doctor Peter Beale.
The two were taken to court following the death of 10-year-old son Zayyaa Sayed at Park Lane Clinic after surgery last year.
The council’s president Dr Kgosi Letlape says the two doctors have been treated like criminals.
“The people that are supposed to uphold the law have become vigilantes on the medical profession, criminalising the practice of medicine. That is what concerns us. In December last year, we had colleagues paraded as criminals, handcuffed, shown all over the media for professional acts and this could happen to anyone of us.”
In the video below, healthcare readiness for level one:
