Ramaphosa to address the nation: Here’s what to expect

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to address the nation on the possible relaxation of lockdown restrictions in the coming days.

Ramaphosa address: What you can expect

The president’s last addressed the nation on 25 July 2021 when he moved the country to adjusted Level 3. Curfew was set to 22:00-04:00 and alcohol sales were only allowed between 10:00 and 18:00 from Monday to Thursday.

Recently, Ramaphosa sat with the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) and the President’s Coordinating council on Tuesday 7 September 2021 to discuss upcoming developments to the COVID-19 response.

The upcoming address is speculated to move the country to Level 2. As reported by News24, curfew may be adjusted to 23:00-04:00 and alcohol consumption will likely be allowed from Monday to Friday until 18:00, with capacity at gatherings also expected to increased from 50 to 100 indoors and 250 outdoors.

Updates on SA’s vaccine roll-out

On 19 August 2021 President Ramaphosa announced the expansion of the vaccine rollout and opened COVID-19 vaccination to everyone aged 18 and above.

Right after the announcement, it was reported that over half a million 18-35-year-olds had registered for the COVID-19 vaccination.

Last updated on Tuesday 6 September 2021, statistics show that 3 674 107 people have been fully vaccinated and 10 218 194 individuals have received their first dose. This makes up 25.68% of the population aged 18 and above.

Update on infection rates

A rather positive turn of events when it comes to the COVID-19 infection rate in South Africa. On Tuesday 7 September 5 372 cases were recorded. This is the lowest amount of cases recorded since June 2021. This adds up to a total of 2 829 435 infections.

“As per the National Department of Health, a further 282 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 83 899 to date,” the NICD confirmed.