‘We still have our December for now’ — SA weighs in on Ramaphosa keeping Mzansi at lockdown level 1

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that the country will remain on lockdown alert level 1 has drawn mixed reactions online.

SA has seen a sharp rise in Covid-19 infections over the last week with experts detecting a new variant of concern, Omicron.

Addressing the nation on Sunday night, Ramaphosa noted the new variant and urged South Africans to get vaccinated, saying it is the most powerful tool SA has against the virus. 

He said the country would remain on lockdown alert level 1 while experts monitor infections and hospitalisations.

“The National Coronavirus Command Council met yesterday to consider the recent rise in infections and the possible impact of the Omicron variant.  This was followed by meetings earlier today of the president’s co-ordinating council and cabinet where a decision was taken that the country should remain on coronavirus alert level 1 for now and that the national state of disaster should remain in place.”

He said he would “review the situation in another week. We will then need to determine whether the existing measures are adequate or whether changes need to be made to the current regulations”.

Ramaphosa said government had set up a task team to look into making vaccination mandatory “for specific activities and locations”.

There may be hope about an end to the national state of disaster after Ramaphosa announced the start of a process to amend health regulations and the use of the Disaster Management Act to manage the pandemic.

While many on social media joked the address “could have been a tweet” and “nothing had changed”, others were relieved there had been no ban on alcohol sales and that, for now, December plans won’t have to be cancelled.