National Coronavirus Command Council Meets Amid Declining Cases

Thursday, January 28, 2021 at 10:26 AM by Samantha Riddle

- The National Coronavirus Command Council is gathering for what has been described as a 'regular' meeting

- Covid-19 infections in South Africa have been steadily declining over the past week

- This comes at a time when the state is under immense pressure to relax lockdown restrictions

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South Africa's National Coronavirus Command Council is gathering for what sources have dubbed a 'regular' meeting.

Mainstream — The NCCC meeting has been confirmed but the details remain scarce. Image: Phill Magakoe / AFP
Source: Getty Images

The government is preparing to receive the first batch of Coronavirus vaccines which are expected to arrive in the country any day now.

The first doses of the vaccine are set to be administered to health workers on the frontlines of the battle against the virus.

TimesLIVE reports that government spokesperson Phumla Williams confirmed that the meeting is taking place but refused to provide further insight into the agenda.

This comes as the nation has recorded a steady decline in infections over the course of the past week. Most recently, 680 new fatalities were recorded with around 6 000 new cases.

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The government is currently under immense pressure from the liquor and restaurant industry to lift the current ban on alcohol, but many are unconvinced that this will take place any time soon.

Meanwhile, Briefly.co.za reported that Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has now called upon President Cyril Ramaphosa to convene a special President's Coordinating Council meeting.

This request was contained in a letter sent to the President, detailing his proposals for some lockdown restriction amendments.

Among other things, Winde has called for the ban on beaches and public spaces to be lifted, the curfew amended and the sale of liquor for offsite consumption granted for certain days.

The Premier noted that there has been a steady decline in active cases in the Western Cape:

“We are saying, we don’t have to go all the way, but we have to find a happy medium. At the moment, the balance is out. We have also motivated this through showing the impact on jobs in the province. We have put sufficient healthcare response in place; the extra beds that we have put in place; how we managed the oxygen; how we have managed through the peak with bringing on extra staff, etc.”