President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation this week as the number of COVID-19 cases in South Africa continue to rise.<\/p>\n
Speaking on SABC News, Leanne Manas said Ramaphosa confirmed this at an event over the weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said it is now long overdue for him to address the nation and it will be coming up this week,\u201d said Manas.<\/p>\n
The latest statistics show that the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa is 715,868, a rise of 1,622 from the day before.<\/p>\n
What is of concern is that the average number of new daily cases was 1,219 between 25 September and 1 October.<\/p>\n
This has increased to 1,706 between 16 and 22 October, a trend which has\u00a0raised concerns among government officials, including KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala.<\/p>\n
He warned that the return to a hard lockdown was on the cards unless there is a decline in the number of cases.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooking at the statistics, we can now safely say that we are definitely going back into a hard lockdown if there is no urgent and drastic change in behaviour,\u201d said Zikalala.<\/p>\n
He said a second wave of COVID-19 will be \u201cstronger and deadlier\u201d \u2013 not only in deaths, but also in terms of economic hardship.<\/p>\n
Zikalala urged businesses, especially those in the hospitality industry, to adhere to level 1 lockdown regulations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no use in chasing profits today, only to be shut down by a hard lockdown tomorrow,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He zoned in a the \u201creckless trading in alcohol\u201d which has the \u201cpotential to derail all the progress we have made in preparing our healthcare system for a potential onslaught of COVID-19\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot tolerate that, and therefore our inspectors will be going out in full force to enforce the law,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mangaung metro spokesperson Qondile Khedama reiterated Zikalala\u2019s call for entertainment businesses to be \u201cvery sensitive\u201d as that is where they have picked up problems.<\/p>\n
Free State health spokesperson Mondli Mvambi also said the country needs to prevent the second wave of COVID-19 infections.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople have dropped their guard. They have stopped wearing masks with integrity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n