South Africa banned alcohol sales and made masks mandatory in public from yesterday after a surge in coronavirus cases, as the World Health Organisation warned that pandemics far more deadly than Covid-19 may lie ahead.
Nations around the world are struggling with winter spikes in infections that have pushed the global caseload close to 81mn, even as the rollout of vaccines gathers pace in North America and Europe.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday announced a ban on selling alcohol and said face masks will be compulsory in public after his nation became the first in Africa to record 1mn cases. “We have let down our guard, and unfortunately we are now paying the price,” said Ramaphosa, blaming “super-spreader” social events and an “extreme lack of vigilance over the holiday period” for the spike.
Ramaphosa said data showed “excessive alcohol consumption” leads to an increase in trauma cases reported at hospitals, causing an “unnecessary” strain on public health facilities.
A hospital worker wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) picks up an oxygen cylinder at Khayelitsha Hospital, in the huge sprawling township of Khayelitsha, about 35km from the centre of Cape Town, yesterday.
