President Cyril Ramaphosa's announcement of a 21-day national lockdown was accompanied by range of economic and social measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Read the president's full speech:
The world is facing a medical emergency far graver than what we have experienced in over a century. There are now more than 162 000 people who have tested positive for the coronavirus across the globe.
As of now, South Africa has 61 confirmed cases of people infected with the virus, and this number is expected to rise in the coming days and weeks. Following an extensive analysis of the progression of the disease worldwide and in South Africa, Cabinet has decided on the following measures: We are imposing a travel ban on foreign nationals from high-risk countries such as Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom and China as from 18 March 2020.
Travellers from medium-risk countries - such as Portugal, Hong Kong and Singapore - will be required to undergo high intensity screening. As we have said before, the current circumstances require extraordinary measures to curb the spread of infections. Countries that have heeded the call to implement these radical measures, have fared much better than those than do not. Gatherings of more than 100 people will be prohibited.
We call on all businesses including mining, retail, banking, farming to ensure that they take all necessary measures to intensify hygiene control. Since the outbreak of this pandemic, our government's response has been led by an Inter-Ministerial Committee, chaired by the Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize.
In the last few weeks, we have seen a dramatic decline in economic activity in our major trading partners, a sudden drop in international tourism and severe instability across all global markets. This package, which will consist of various fiscal and other measures, will be concluded following consultation with business, labour and other relevant institutions. Our priority must be to safeguard the health and well-being of all South Africans, to minimise the number of infections and to ensure all those infected get proper treatment.
All the institutions of the state will be mobilised to lead this effort, but, if we are to succeed, every company, trade union, NGO, university, college, school, religious group and taxi association will need to play its part.
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