Ramaphosa to address South Africans as COVID-19 claims more than 11,000 lives
President Cyril Ramaphosa will address South Africans on COVID-19 pandemic on Saturday, his office said in a statement received by TODAY NEWS AFRICA in Washington D.C.
The address would focus on developments in South Africa’s risk-adjusted strategy to manage the spread of COVID-19, the presidency added.
The President’s address follows a meeting earlier this week of the National Coronavirus Command Council and meetings today of the President’s Coordinating Council and Cabinet.
The President’s address will be broadcast live on television and radio and will be streamed live on a range of online platforms.
South Africa is the most affected country in Africa with close to 600 thousand confirmed cases and more than 11 thousand deaths.
Although the number of new infections has been slowing down in the past few weeks, South Africa remains the fifth most affected country in the world behind the United States, Brazil, Russia and India.
The World Health Organization has warned that COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, and other countries on the continent should watch developments in South Africa closely.
There is neither cure nor vaccine at the moment for COVID-19 and health experts continue to recommend traditional health tactics to beat the deadly bug, including hand hygiene, social distancing, respiratory hygiene, wearing of face masks, testing, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine.
Simon Ateba is Chief White House Correspondent for Today News Africa. Simon covers President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. government, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other financial and international institutions in Washington D.C. and New York City.
