Image: GCIS/Siyabulela Duda
President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on the country’s response to Covid-19 on Wednesday night, touching on development of a new vaccine to be manufactured in SA, a “surge” of cases in the Eastern Cape and a warning about being safe during the festive season.
His full address, as sent to journalists, is published below unedited.
Statement by President Cyril Ramaphosa on progress in the national effort to contain the Covid-19 pandemic
My fellow South Africans, we have not had our national family meeting for some time.
It has been many months now since the outbreak of the coronavirus in South Africa. The pandemic has caused great hardship for all our people. After such a long time of uncertainty and worry, we all wish for a return to normal life.
I know that many of us are suffering from coronavirus fatigue. The problem is that we have begun to forget that the virus is still present all around us.
As I speak to you this evening, the Covid-19 pandemic is worsening across the globe. The world has just recorded its highest number of weekly new cases since the start of the pandemic and the highest number of weekly deaths. More than 51 million people have been infected globally and at least 1.2 million people have died. Many countries are in the midst of a second wave of infections, which has often been more severe than the first.
What we are seeing brings home a difficult truth: that Covid-19 is far from over. It is very much still here. And it will remain with us for some time to come.
As South Africa, we have endured what we hope is the worst of the storm. At the height of the pandemic, in July, we were recording around 12,000 new infections a day.
For more than two months now, the number of new infections has remained relatively stable at below 2,000 a day.
The number of deaths has been declining steadily, as has the number of people requiring hospitalisation. The total number of new hospital admissions has declined for the 14th consecutive week.
We owe this to the decisive measures that we took early in the pandemic and to the contribution that every South African has made in fighting this virus.
We owe this also to the frontline workers who have selflessly and courageously staffed our medical facilities, gone out into communities to screen and to test, who have maintained peace and stability, and who have kept essential services working.
From the progress we have made, from the lessons we have learnt, we now know that under the current alert level 1 we have all the tools we need to prevent a resurgence. For as long as we observe all the necessary health protocols and remaining restrictions — as individuals, as businesses, as institutions — there should be no need to return to a higher alert level.
We should be proud of our response as a nation, which has been widely recognised and commended by many across the world.
I had a virtual meeting yesterday with several international business leaders whose companies operate in many countries across the world. They all applauded the manner in which South Africa has managed the pandemic.
While this is welcome progress, we must acknowledge that this pandemic has so far taken a great toll on the health and well-being of our people. To date, South Africa has recorded 742,394 coronavirus cases. Of these people, over 92% have recovered.
But the greatest blow we have suffered since the start of this pandemic are the confirmed deaths of 20,011 people due to Covid-19. While we have a relatively low fatality rate compared to many other countries, we cannot begin to calculate the loss and anguish that these deaths have caused.
Since the beginning of this crisis, our goal was both to save lives and protect livelihoods. As we rebuild our country in the midst of this pandemic, this must remain our overriding concern.
Although infections have stabilised, many people are still getting infected every day and we remain vulnerable. We are seeing how quickly and how dramatically infections can rise in a number of countries. We are also seeing how health systems can become overwhelmed in the face of rising infections. The rise in infections in some of these countries has led to the reimposition of tough restrictions. We have also seen in other countries how a resurgence can dash hopes for a swift economic recovery.
We must do everything we can to prevent this from happening in our country.
If we are to prevent a resurgence of infections in our country there are a few areas that we must pay attention to.
The first is the situation in the Eastern Cape, which is showing signs of a resurgence.
In the last week, the number of new cases in the province was 50% higher than the week before. And the total number of new cases in the last 14 days was around 145% higher than the previous 14 days. These increases are being driven by massive spikes in the Nelson Mandela Metro and the Sarah Baartman District in particular.
For the last month, there has been a sustained upward increase in hospital admissions in the province.
The evidence suggests that the increases in the Eastern Cape could have been triggered by outbreaks in institutions of higher learning such as universities, schools and attendance by people at large gatherings.
When this is combined with poor adherence to social distancing, mask wearing and other poor hygiene measures, the environment for rising infections is set.
With many people moving between the Eastern Cape and other provinces — particularly the Western Cape — it is a matter of time before this surge spreads to other parts of the country.
We therefore need to take measures to contain the rise in infections. In response to the rising infections, we are implementing the resurgence plan that has been developed together with the surge team deployed to South Africa by the World Health Organisation.
Interventions include primary health care outreach teams to intensify contact tracing, daily community mobilisation, ensuring the readiness of health facilities and being ready to respond to possible clusters outbreaks.
We will be working closely with the provincial government, municipalities and other institutions in the Eastern Cape in the coming days and weeks to ensure that this surge is contained and managed.
What we are witnessing in the Eastern Cape should be a wake-up call to all of us that we cannot relax and we cannot be complacent.
We are therefore also closely monitoring developments in areas that are experiencing higher than average rates of new infections.
The areas where we are experiencing higher than average rates of new infections include Lejweleputswa and Mangaung in the Free State, Frances Baard and Pixley ka Seme in the Northern Cape, and the Garden Route and Cape Town metro in the Western Cape.
To ensure that we can keep all the necessary prevention measures in place, we are, as required by the Disaster Management Act, extending the National State of Disaster by another month to the 15th of December 2020.
The second area of concern that we need to pay attention to is the upcoming festive season, during which many South Africans travel to other parts of the country and where people tend to gather socially.
These activities, if not undertaken responsibly, pose the greatest immediate threat to our management of the pandemic. But we can avoid a second wave if we each play our part, if we remember what we need to do to keep ourselves and others safe.
From the big cities and metros to the smallest towns and villages, we all know about this virus. From the Grade R learner to the factory worker, from the university student to the grandparent at home, we all know how the coronavirus can be spread.
So what I am asking of each and every one of you this evening is not something new. I am asking you to do what you know must be done.
We know that this virus is transmitted when we are in close contact with other people. Let us remember that it is transmitted in small particles from our nose and mouth when we talk, cough, sneeze or even breathe heavily.
We also all know what we need to do to protect ourselves and those around us.
A cloth mask, worn over the nose and mouth, is still one of our best defences. I know this can sometimes be a hassle. Masks can be hot and uncomfortable. They make it difficult to recognise other people or to hear clearly what they’re saying.
But cloth masks are cheap, they can now be found almost anywhere, and the inconvenience of wearing one is far, far better than becoming infected or infecting others. Wearing a mask every time we leave home is far, far better than a second wave. It is also far better than a return to lockdown and better than having to shut down the economy.
A number of outbreaks have been linked to indoor gatherings where there is poor ventilation and no social distancing.
Of course, with the festive season approaching, it is understandable that we will want to be with family and friends. It has been a stressful and traumatic year. We want to socialise and connect with each other.
But this doesn’t mean we should let our guard down.
We must remember that every additional person we come into contact with increases the chances of transmission. We should avoid large gatherings. We should rather meet in small groups. If we must go out, we should limit contact with others.
Super-spreader events
I have been increasingly getting concerned and alarmed by what I have been seeing on social media and even on television where people are holding big parties, gatherings and social events as though the virus does not exist.
I have been seeing images of indoor venues crowded with people who are not wearing masks and with no evidence of social distancing. These are super-spreader events that must be avoided because this is dangerous behaviour.
The same rules that applied in the early days of the lockdown should apply now. And now that we are in summer it is far easier to meet outdoors or in rooms with the windows open.
As we have said before we need to utilise various tools in our coronavirus toolbox to fight this virus.
We can also use technology to fight the virus.
I call on each of you to join the 700,000 South Africans who have downloaded the Covid Alert SA mobile app.
The Covid Alert app can notify you if you have been exposed to the virus — whether it is in a taxi, a shopping mall or a social gathering — and it does so without sharing your location or any personal information.