Covid19: South Africa Faces 5th Wave of Pandemic As Winter Nears

• Health Minister Joe Phaahla warned South Africans that a fifth wave of Covid19 might hit the country
• He revealed this during a press briefing in which he said that the country was exiting its fourth wave of the pandemic
• The number of Covid19 infections have slowed down and "plateaued" since the end of the holidays

JOHANNESBURG - Health Minister Joe Phaahla warned South Africa that winter will not only bring colder weather but also yeat another wave of Covid-19.

Phaahla held a press briefing on Friday to reveal the government's latest response to the pandemic.

The minister reported that South Africa had reached the end of the fourth wave of Covid-19, however, he warned that a fifth wave was likely to hit the country in winter.

The number of new infections has slowed down and according to News24 the pattern of infections now resembles a plateau.

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Phaahla is optimistic that once things settle down after the holidays and people move around the country less, the number of infections will stabilise further.

Last year, IOL reported that a fifth wave would hit the country but at the time it was believed that it would be less severe.

Refusing Covid19 treatment could lead to involuntary isolation up to 48 hours

Earlier, Briefly News reported that from 1 February, a new set of Covid19 regulations under the current Adjusted Alert Level 1 were implemented.

Under the new rules, the time for self-isolation for people who contract Covid19 and are showing symptoms of the virus was reduced from 10 days to seven days.

The South African government also stated that people who do not show any symptoms are no longer required to isolate and will be allowed to move around freely despite their Covid status.

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Cabinet's decision to make these changes is based on increased immunity against Covid-19. It is estimated that at least 60% of South Africans have built up immunity to the coronavirus, with a possibility that immunity could be as high as 80%.

“This was a scam”: Mzansi wants all Covid19 regulations to end since kids are going back to school full time

Briefly News previously reported that for the first time since the implementation of the Covid19 regulations in March 2020, South African school children will be attending school on a full-time basis once again.

This comes after the Department of Basic Education made the decision to abandon the rotational timetable, which meant the pupils attended in-person classes for only 10 days a month.

Cabinet came to this decision on Monday night, 31 January and in the statement issued by the Office of the Presidency, schools are set to resume on a full-time schedule on Tuesday, 1 February.

Source: Briefly News