Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has Gazetted the extension of the National State of Disaster on COVID-19 until the 15th of May.
The decision to extend the state of national disaster follows consultations and cabinet approval.
The extension takes into account the need to continue augmenting the existing legislation and contingency arrangements undertaken by organs of state to mitigate against the impact of the disaster on lives and livelihoods.
South Africa went into COVID-19-imposed lockdown more than a year ago as a measure to curb the spread of the virus. The country is now under Alert Level 1 of the COVID-19 lockdown.
See Infographic below for Alert Level 1 regulations:
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The country had also recorded 67 new COVID-19 related fatalities, bringing the national death toll to 53 423.
“Eastern Cape 8, Free State 9, Gauteng 28, Kwa-Zulu Natal 0, Limpopo 0, Mpumalanga 0, North West 19, Northern Cape 2 and Western Cape 1,” says the Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, in a statement.
The number of tests conducted as of Tuesday was 10 181 143.
The recovery rate remained at 95% with 1 485 315 South Africans having beaten the virus.
Earlier, the Health Minister had urged South Africans to continue to take non-pharmaceutical COVID-19 precautions for COVID-19 to delay a resurgence of infections.
The call followed the suspension of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine rollout in the country on Tuesday night.
Minister Mkhize’s briefing on suspension of J&J vaccine in SA:
We have determined to voluntarily suspend our rollout until the causal relationship between the development of clots and the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is sufficiently interrogated. pic.twitter.com/qYq50IvV9L
— Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) April 13, 2021
The country’s move followed America’s decision to pause the use of the vaccine.
Sherwin Bryce-Pease unpacks the US’ decision in the video below:
