President Cyril Ramaphosa has used his weekly letter to South Africans to issue a warning over the Covid-19 pandemic. The threat of a possible second wave of Covid-19 infections could be the undoing of the economic recovery achieved to date. This comes as numerous meetings will be taking place to determine the path forward for the nation by the National Coronavirus Command Council and Cabinet.
“A second wave at any scale will not just dramatically reverse our health gains. It will choke the green shoots of economic recovery that have emerged, and take us back from spring to winter. To prevent a second wave of COVID-19 infections, we must observe the public health guidelines that remain in place.”
The festive season is just around the corner and the President stressed the importance of avoiding a self-inflicted surge of cases:
“With the festive season approaching, it is critical that we do not become the architects of our own undoing. When we fail to wear a mask at a social gathering, when we attend crowded events, we are not only putting ourselves and others at risk. We are also putting our economic recovery in jeopardy. Let us all continue to play our part.”
Ramaphosa says that the new season, and hopefully the beginning of the end of the pandemic, is reason enough to feel optimistic:
“Even as most social and economic activity has resumed, we must still observe all the health measures. This is absolutely necessary if we are to rebuild our economy and put this crisis behind us. After a long and difficult winter, the beginning of a new season should fill us with optimism.”