Level 5 speculation mounts with Gauteng in the hot seat
"The statistics that we have got do not even show that we have reached the peak, and therefore we have to do something and protect the province," said Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi.
Speculation was rife on Thursday as to whether parts of the country would be moved back to level 5 of lockdown restrictions with all eyes on Gauteng.
In the last 24-hour reporting period 17,493 new Covid-19 cases have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 1,861,065.
Gauteng had reported 10 806 new cases.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD)'s Dr Michelle Groome, Head of the Division of Public Health Surveillance and Response, warns that “the sharp rise in the reported daily Covid-19 cases is cause for concern, especially in the Gauteng Province where daily case numbers are exceeding those seen during the previous two waves.”
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On Wednesday, the Gauteng Command council was waiting to hear whether they can go ahead with their proposed new measures to impose harsher restrictions on the province.
"The statistics that we have got do not even show that we have reached the peak, and therefore we have to do something and protect the province," said Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi.
He was briefing the media in Tembisa, saying the provincial Command Council has forwarded their proposals to the national government.
Gauteng Premier, David Makhura is expected to address the media about their health response plan on Thursday afternoon.
