Another 14 South Africans have died of Covid-19, bringing the national death toll to 261, health minister Zweli Mkhize said on Saturday night.
Testing has ramped up substantially. So far, 439,559 tests have been conducted with 18,004 done in the last 24-hour cycle.
Commenting on the possible easing of lockdown restrictions, the minister said:"I am sure many South Africans are eagerly looking forward to a return to normality, albeit a 'new normal'."I would thank each and every one of you for your tenacity, stoicism and true partnership with government.
Mkhize said the country had screened over 10-million people [10,737,341], and had identified 376 sites for quarantine nationally with 30,823 quarantine beds. "The process of easing lockdown regulations is a highly consultative one where various stakeholder inputs are taken into account to influence implementation."
He said decisions were guided by World Health Organization recommendations for easing lockdown restrictions, which are:Health systems capacity is in place to detect, isolate, test and treat every case and trace very contactThat preventive measures are in place in workplaces, schools and other places that are essential for people to goThat communities are fully educated, engaged and empowered to adjust to the new norm.
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