{"id":285545,"date":"2021-06-28T11:50:01","date_gmt":"2021-06-28T08:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/s-africa-hardens-lockdown-to-combat-delta-variant-surge\/"},"modified":"2021-06-28T11:50:01","modified_gmt":"2021-06-28T08:50:01","slug":"s-africa-hardens-lockdown-to-combat-delta-variant-surge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/s-africa-hardens-lockdown-to-combat-delta-variant-surge\/","title":{"rendered":"#S.Africa hardens lockdown to combat Delta variant surge"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#S.Africa hardens lockdown to combat Delta variant surge<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday reimposed restrictions for two weeks to combat a surge in the highly contagious coronavirus Delta variant.\n <\/p>\n

The worst-hit country on the continent “is facing a massive resurgence of infection,” the president said in a televised address to the nation.<\/p>\n

“Our health facilities are stretched to the limit… ICU beds are in short supply,” he said as he placed the country on alert level four, just one level below a full lockdown.<\/p>\n

Ramaphosa banned all gatherings, except for funerals where numbers will be capp<\/a>ed at 50, and also ordered a ban on the sale of alcohol.<\/p>\n

Eateries and restaurants will not be allowed to serve sit-down meals, and will only be allowed to sell food for take-away or delivery. <\/p>\n

A nighttime curfew has been lengthened by an hour\u2014starting at 9pm till 4am, while all schools should be shut by Friday.<\/p>\n

Authorities say the peak of the third wave\u2014fuelled by the Delta variant first identified in India\u2014will surpass that of earlier waves as the country struggles to quickly roll out vaccinations.<\/p>\n

“We are in the grip of a devastating wave that by all indications seems like it will be worse than those that preceded it,” Ramaphosa said.<\/p>\n

South Africa now counts 1,928,897 coronavirus cases after recording 15,036 new cases on Sunday, a drop from the previous day when 18,762 new infections were diagnosed.<\/p>\n

The COVID-19 death toll stands at 59,900.<\/p>\n

Leisure travel<\/a> in and out of the densely populated province of Gauteng\u2014encompassing Johannesburg and Pretoria, the nation’s economic and industrial heartland\u2014has been outlawed.<\/p>\n

The province which accounts for around 60 percent of national infections, has become the epicentre of the outbreak.<\/p>\n

The country’s vaccination drive has been slow. Around 2.7 million people have been immunised since February, but Ramaphosa said the innoculation exercise has gained momentum.<\/p>\n

Meantime most business will forge ahead operating at full capacity, a move he said was to enable as much economic activity to continue as possible.<\/p>\n

The economy of Africa’s most industrialised country slumped by seven percent in 2020 compared to the previous year.<\/p>\n

Health officials across the world have been alarmed by the rapid spread of the Delta variant.<\/p>\n

The World Health Organization said on Friday that the Delta variant had reached at least 85 countries.\n <\/p>\n\n

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Delta variant driving COVID surge in South Africa\n <\/p><\/div>\n

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\n \u00a9 2021 AFP<\/p>\n

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Citation<\/strong>:
\n S.Africa hardens lockdown to combat Delta variant surge (2021, June 28)
\n retrieved 28 June 2021
\n from https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/news<\/a>\/2021-06-safrica-hardens-lockdown-combat-delta.html<\/p>\n

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