Government extends SA National State of Disaster to 15 April 2022

Government has extended the National State of Disaster to  15 April 2022.

March 15th marks two years since the announcement of the National State of Disaster to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19).

President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his State of the Nation last month that he intended to end the National State of Disaster after finalising all measures under the National Health Act to manage the pandemic.

Video: Two years of the national state of disaster in SA: Dr Lesley Bamford

Earlier, health experts added their voices to calls for government to scrap the National State of Disaster.

They say the remaining restrictions and regulations no longer serve any purpose and that the country needs to move to a phase of learning to live with the virus.

Professor of Vaccinology at Wits University, Shabir Madhi says the remaining restrictions and regulations no longer serve any purpose and should be lifted.

Prof Madhi says the country needs to move to a phase of learning to live with the virus: “Unfortunately, when it comes to wearing of masks, it hasn’t assisted us in keeping sown infection. Again to emphasize, these things might have been required at a point in time when we didn’t have extensive number of people, and now we sit at 80-85% that have developed protection against severe disease and death.”

SA’s plan to end State of Disaster on COVID-19: Prof. Shabir Madhi