Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula briefs the media on COVID-19 lockdown regulations and directives impacting transport as the country moves to Level 3 of national lockdown.
Live stream below:
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula briefs the media on COVID-19 lockdown regulations and directives impacting transport as the country moves to Level 3 of national lockdown.
Live stream below:
Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa is briefing the media on the resumption of sport under lockdown Level 3.
Live stream below:
As South Africa goes into Level 3 of lockdown on June 1, these are the people who can move between provinces during this period:
INFOGRAPHIC: Level 3 Lockdown:
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British American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA) will on Friday file an urgent court application against government’s decision to extend the ban on tobacco products when the country moves to Level 3 of the nationwide lockdown on Monday.
BATSA says its action is supported by, amongst others, Japan Tobacco International.
The organisation says it has made every effort to engage with government over the matter, but has to date received no response.
BATSA says the extended ban on tobacco is driving up the illicit trade on cigarettes, threatens thousands of jobs and is costing the government around R 35 million a day in tax.
There has been criticism over the decision to allow for the sale of alcohol and yet extend the ban on tobacco.
The Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association has taken government to court over the matter and the Tobacco Transformation Alliance has called for an inquiry into alleged links between illicit tobacco traders and high profile politicians.
Statement from BATSA:
In the video below, British American Tobacco threatened to take government to court at the beginning of May:
On Tuesday, Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said there are short and long-term benefits for people who stop smoking.
She cautiously responded to questions on tobacco due to the pending legal challenge against the ban on the sale of cigarettes.
She told the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) that health experts and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have warned that smokers who contract the virus could face serious problems.
Dlamini-Zuma quoted the WHO on some of the benefits of giving up smoking.
She said, “The short-term benefits, I will just read some to you … it says: If you stop smoking, in 12 hours the carbon monoxide in your blood drops to normal. Two weeks after, your circulation improves and your lung function increases. One month to nine months, coughing and shortness of breath will decrease. And it goes on … I won’t waste your time.”-Additional reporting by Mercedes Besent.
In the video below, Prof Guy Richards speaks about the impact of coronavirus on smokers:
INFOGRAPHIC: Level 3 lockdown:
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Statistics revealed by the Health Department show that 755 children under the age of nine have contracted COVID-19.
This accounts for 2.9 % of the total number of cases which now stands at 27403.
The age group of between 10 and 19-years-old accounts for 1147 of the overall cases.
Statistics released on Thursday evening show that another 25 people have died due to COVID-19, increasing the death toll nationally to 577.
Of the latest deaths is an employee of the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) who died on Thursday due to COVID-19
The recoveries to date are 14370 which translates to a recovery rate of 52.4%.
Public behaviour will determine the infection rate
Public Health Medicine Registrar at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Dr Velile Ngidi, says ultimately, public behaviour will determine whether the rate of infection increases or not.
Ngidi says, “The expectation is that as we reduce the level of lockdown and peoples movements are less restricted, we are expecting an increase in transmission but the hope is that people have had time to get used to non-pharmaceutical interventions like hand washing, hand sanitizers, physical distancing that is what we are relying on, human behaviour that people do what they are supposed to be doing.”
INFOGRAPHIC: SA COVID-19 statistics:
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COVID-19 cases in Chris Hani District
Eastern Cape health authorities say poor lockdown compliance in the Chris Hani District has contributed significantly to the rapid increase in the number of patients in the province.
Home-brewed liquor and a lack of social distancing are also cited as factors.
The district has over 300 known infections and 14 people have lost their lives due to COVID-19.
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