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Ramaphosa convinced SA will win the battle against COVID-19

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President Cyril Ramaphosa says he’s convinced that the country will succeed in overcoming the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Addressing a virtual conference with members of the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef), on Sunday, the President also says that as much as the government is doing all it can, there have been glitches on the way.

President Ramaphosa engages Sanef in a virtual conference:

Outlining the government’s progress since the implementation of the nationwide lockdown, the President has said he firmly believes the country will overcome the dark days of COVID-19.

But as the country has been hard at work battling the deadly virus it hasn’t been a smooth road.

Government has been criticised for not being fair when easing the regulation, especially when coming to the permission of allowing some commodities to be sold while living others out.

The President says the government is guided by the scientific proof. “What we are doing is guided by science. None of us is flying on the seat of our political thoughts. It’s guided by science.”

President Ramaphosa’s full engagement with SANEF:  

And another thorny issue with the return to work of many South Africans, is the country equipped enough to handling the anticipated spike of the cases?

“Now, (we) need to ramp up the ICU. This now the greatest need and I would like ministers to focus more on the establishment of those beds.”

On Monday, the country will enter into known territory of Level 3 where people will be allowed to go back to work. “The implementation of Alert Level 3 marks the start of the next phase of our strategy.”

The President says the COVID-19 situation has taught the country to adapt to new ways of living. He says the government has explored other measures to ensure the economy is afloat.

“While we are firmly focused on the task of fighting the pandemic and saving lives, we are also turning our attention towards sustainable economic recovery.”

The new Level 3 comes with more freedoms, but also the high risk of a spike in COVID-19 infections.

Earlier this week, President Ramaphosa declared Sunday a National Day of Prayer and called on South Africans to heed the call to pray for the country during this time.

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