Everything You need to know about the 21 days Lockdown – COVID-19

Dennis TMarch 23, 2020

644 2 minutes read

These measures follow the declaration of a national shutdown from 26 March 2020. With more than 400 confirmed cases of the coronavirus epidemic (COVID-19) in South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday evening announced that a national shutdown would be implemented from Thursday in response to the growing threat of the disease.

The government’s plan is following on China’s experience in containing COVID-19. This follows the declaration of a national state of disaster by the president on 15 March, which included several regulations on public gatherings and the formation of the National Command Council to monitor the implementation of these measures in response to the growing threat of the coronavirus. Ramaphosa is concerned that if these extraordinary measures are not put in place, we could face a human catastrophe with the numbers of cases increased to hundreds of thousands in weeks.

Ramaphosa also said the government has set up a solidarity fund to help those in need. The Rupert and Oppenheimer families have pledged R1-billion each.

Here’s a summary of the government’s new steps to control the spread of COVID-19:

21-DAY ‘STAY-AT-HOME’ WHOLE-COUNTRY LOCKDOWN

This means only absolutely essential personnel (doctors, nurses, police, etc…) and those requiring medical care will be allowed to leave home for restricted periods. Individuals will not be allowed to leave their homes except under strictly controlled circumstances. The South African National Defence Force has been deployed to ensure the lockdown is effective.

THE HOMELESS

Alternative temporary accommodation sites will be used for the 21-day “stay-at-home” period for the homeless.

PUBLIC FACILITIES

Clinics, pharmacies, food stores, and hospitals will remain open.

TRAVEL

All foreign nationals entering the country will be turned away, and those in hotels will be quarantined for 14 days.

SUPPLIES

Medical and other supplies will be secured and stored in bulk due to disruptions in the supply and distribution of goods, including supplies such as personal protective equipment for healthcare workers.

HEALTHCARE

Health care will be provided through triage (priority of patients’ treatments first) to obtain “centralized treatment” for severe cases and “decentralized primary care” for mild cases. A key objective will be not to overwhelm hospitals with unnecessary care seekers.

In other news – Video of Bonang Matheba dancing to ex-boyfriend AKA’s song causes chaos – Watch

Queen B aka Bonang Matheba has left the tongues of many wagging after a video of herself dancing to her ex-boyfriend AKA‘s music while on an Instagram live video. In the video, she can be seen vibing to a collaborative single by ex-boyfriend AKA and Anatii.

Bonang Matheba