Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa: 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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa:  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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa: 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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa: 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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa: If we must go out, we should limit contact with others. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa: 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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa:  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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa: 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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa: 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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa:  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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa: 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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa: 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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa:   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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa: 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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa: 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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa: 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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa: 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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa:  What we are witnessing in 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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa:  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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa: 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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa: 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 — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa:  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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa:  When this is combined with poor adherence to social distancing, mask wearing and other poor hygiene measures, the environment for rising infections is set. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa: 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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa:  For the last month, there has been a sustained upward increase in hospital admissions in the province. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa:  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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa: 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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa:  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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa: 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. — PolitiTweet.org

Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA

President #Ramaphosa:  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. — PolitiTweet.org