South Africa Reimposes Alcohol Ban, Extends Curfew as COVID-19 Cases Surged

President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa on Sunday reimposed alcohol ban and extended curfew following a report from the nation’s health ministry that 12,058 new coronavirus cases were reported in the country during the weekend.

The health ministry said total deaths due to the virus rose by 108 in the last 24 hours to 4,079 while the total confirmed cases stood at 276,242 deaths.

In a televised speech, the president said “This is a fight to save every life, and we need to save every bed,” he said. “The coronavirus storm is far fiercer and more destructive than any we have known.”

He, therefore, said the curfew will be in place between 9 p.m to 4 a.m and will take effect from today, Monday. Also, he said family visits and social activities remain banned.

The President said scientists predicted between 40,000 to 50,000 COVID-19 death before the end of th year, saying “We must make it our single most important task to prove these projections wrong.”

Ramaphosa added that the latest projections revealed that different provinces would reach the peak of infections between the end of this month and late September.