Staff Reporter
President Cyril Ramaphosa has extended the national lockdown being implemented to help contain the spread of the deadly COVID-19 by two weeks.
This means the lockdown which was supposed to end on April 16 will now remain in place until April 30.
“After careful consideration of the available evidence, the National Coronavirus Command Council has decided to extend the nationwide lockdown by a further two weeks beyond the initial 21 days,” Ramaphosa said in a televised national address Thursday night.
He said most of the existing lockdown measures will remain in force until the end of April.
“We did not take this decision to extend the lockdown lightly . . . I am keenly aware of the impact this will have on our economy,” the president said.
“But I know, as you do, that unless we take these difficult measures now, unless we hold on to this course for a little longer, the coronavirus pandemic will engulf, and ultimately consume, our country.”
In view of the impact the extension is likely to have on the economy, Ramaphosa said the government will take time to evaluate how it can embark on risk-adjusted measures that can enable a phased recovery of the economy and allow the return to operation of certain sectors under strictly controlled conditions.
He said the government would pursue a three-pronged path that both saves lives and protects livelihoods.
The approach includes an intensified public health response to slow down and reduce infections; a comprehensive package of economic support measures to assist businesses and individuals affected by the pandemic; and increased social support to protect poor and vulnerable households.
Ramaphosa said the national executive, which includes his office and ministers, will forgo a third of its salaries over the next three months and contribute towards the Solidarity Fund which was established to mobilise resources from companies, organisations and individuals to combat the coronavirus pandemic
“In support of this effort, we have decided that the president, deputy president, ministers and deputy ministers will each take a one-third cut in their salaries for the next three months. This portion of their salaries will be donated to the Solidarity Fund,” he said.
The fund has so far raised around R2.2 billion.