No End in Sight: SA National State of Disaster Rolls Around With New Extension

• The government has resolved to extend the National State of Disaster that has kept South Africa under lockdown for close to two years
• Not everyone agrees with the move, with calls from the Western Cape to relax the lockdown measures
• South Africans on social media expressed their displeasure with some speculating whether the decision was independently that of the government

The government have resolved to continue on the current trajectory by extending the National State of Disaster that has kept South Africa under lockdown for close to two years.

The country remains on the current alert level three of the lockdown which includes, among several restrictions, curfew hours that run from 10 pm until 4 am.

According to The South African, schools opened on 26 July, have done so in line with strict health protocols and several other measures instituted by the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga.

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SABC News reported that the cabinet decided to keep the tight regulations in place until Friday, 15 October, in line with the Disaster Management Act of 2002.

Not everyone agrees with the move, with calls from the Western Cape to relax the lockdown measures. South Africa is fresh from overcoming the deadly third wave of the pandemic driven by the Delta variant.

Professor Helen Rees, chairperson at the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) said the new C.1.2 Covid-19 variant is being monitored to ensure that vaccines remain effective against it.

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In view of the country's vaccine drive, Deputy President David Mabuza is confident 70 per cent of the population would have been vaccinated by the end of the year.

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On social media, South Africans reacted to the news of the latest extension. Many questioned the government's decision to extend the regulations, even speculating that other forces are at play.

@ManablazeMick said:

"Did cabinet extend the national state of disaster or was that decision limited to NDZ and the NCCC “cabinet”?"

While @Stuart_RPratt noted:

"They're extending the national state of disaster. That was to be expected. What we need is to go down to level 2 or 1 now with cases dropping dramatically."

@Arkangelkratos lambasted cabinet's decision, writing:

"Cabinet is a national state of disaster."

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma extends National State of Disaster by another month

In related news, Briefly News previously reported that Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma extended the National State of Disaster on Thursday, 12 August.

The State of Disaster allowed for the government to bring in a lockdown and strengthen the country's health system in order to prepare for an influx of Covid-19 infections and the ongoing vaccination rollout programme.

Last month, Dlamini-Zuma extended the National State of Disaster to 15 September 2021, which two weeks time, will see the lastest extension, up to 15 October, taking effect.

Source: Briefly News