COVID-19 lockdown | President Ramaphosa expected to address the nation on Sunday

The Presidency has confirmed that President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation on Sunday evening before the extended alert level four lockdown expires at midnight.

There is speculation that Ramaphosa will extend the regulations as COVID-19 infections remain high.

Schools are set open on Monday. Other sectors of South Africa’s economy including the alcohol industry are hoping that Ramaphosa will relax the regulations to open up the country’s ailing economy.

Meanwhile, the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 says South Africa reached the peak of the third wave of coronavirus infections at the beginning of this month.

It says there’s been a slight decline in the number of cases but hospital admissions are still increasing. Admissions and deaths trail new infections by a number of weeks.

COVID-19 Advisory Committee expected to call on the government to review lockdown restrictions

The Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 says it will advise the government to review its current lockdown restrictions when it meets with President Cyril Ramaphosa this weekend.

It says this is because the country has started to see a turnaround in COVID-19 infections.

It says there has been a decline in the number of cases,  but hospital admissions deaths are yet to start decreasing.

Admissions and deaths are trailing new infections by a number of weeks. A few days ago,  the committee’s co-chair Professor Koleka Mlisana said South Africa had reached the peak of the third wave of COVID-19 infections at beginning of this month.