The current measures were due to expire on January 15 and include the closure of beaches and public parks and a ban on the sale of alcohol.
“The pandemic in our country is now the most devastating. The number of new infections, the number of hospitalizations and deaths that continue to occur are much higher than ever since the first case was registered in our country. In March 2020.” , Ramaphosa said in a live national address.
In addition to expanding existing measures, Ramaphosa announced that 20 land borders will be closed by February 15. The closures will have several exceptions, such as those traveling for medical emergencies, he said.
Ramaphosa said the speed and intensity of the second wave in South Africa is due to the 501.v2 variant discovered by genomic scientists late last year.
“We know that this new variant of the virus tends to spread much faster than the previous version. This explains why more people became infected in a much shorter time,” he said, adding that there is no evidence that the new strain caused people to get sick.
Ramaphosa said the restrictions will be reassessed when the current peak of infections relaxes.
South Africa reported at least 1,246,643 Covid-19 cases, including 33,579 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.