Ramaphosa to address the nation as Covid-19 storm threatens to engulf health system
Ramaphosa will be under pressure to accommodate the demands put to him by provincial premiers, who have warned that their health systems are pushed to the limit.
A proposal from Gauteng for a possible return to level 4 for the province, or an intermittent lockdown, has been rejected outright. Gauteng health MEC Bandile Masuku told the Sunday Times last week that the province wanted an intermittent lockdown implemented on a"two weeks in, two weeks out" or"month in, month out" approach.
"People are organising parties now, they visit each other as friends, they visit families and relatives. It's like there's no lockdown." The health department has appointed a special task team to assess the impact of alcohol consumption on a health system that is already under pressure. Director-general Sandile Buthelezi told parliament this week that since the ban on alcohol was lifted, serious problems have emerged, chief among these being the clogging of emergency beds with patients admitted after alcohol-related incidents.
Contacted yesterday, minister in the presidency Jackson Mthembu declined to comment on discussions in the cabinet and the NCCC, saying he can't speak on these issues until the president has addressed the nation. Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape and the Cape Town metro in the Western Cape are the epicentres in their respective provinces. The Eastern Cape has asked for soldiers to assist at its health facilities, which are battling to cope with admissions.
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