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Ramaphosa hints to the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in the coming week

Source: news 24, 10/09/2020

President Cyril Ramaphosa has given the strongest indication yet there will be a further relaxing of Covid-19 restrictions.
He confirmed the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) had received submissions from the religious section, the tourism sector, the sports fraternity and entertainers.
In an engagement with the South African National Editors` Forum (Sanef) on Wednesday night, Ramaphosa said the country should `watch the space` in the coming week.
`As the National Coronavirus Command Council, we are having to evaluate a number of proposals that have been put to us by a number of sectors of society. Religious leaders have come to us and asked that we consider extending the number of people who should be in worship. It should no longer be based on 50 people in a room only it should be based on 50% of the room.`
He said they would give consideration to all the proposals before the government and do an evaluation of the rate of Covid-19 infections.
`This is where we will get advice from the Ministerial Advisory Committee as well as from Natjoints which is the real engine of monitoring our coronavirus approach. We will give consideration to all that,` Ramaphosa added.
The country was placed on alert Level 2 of the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19 on August 18, which lifted most restrictions to the economy.
International borders remain closed and large gatherings of more than 50 people are still prohibited.
While the country has seen a steady decline in Covid-19 infections there are concerns about the accuracy of its recorded death toll.
Ramaphosa said the government had not taken advice on wrong data.
`Yes, it is possible that records of people who have died from Covid-19-related diseases could be a lot more but we have dealt with those numbers. There`s always a margin of error. But the data in my view has been spot on,` he said.
Ramaphosa added the vaccine developed in response to the coronavirus should not be hogged by more developed countries.
`The vaccine that would be developed should not be nationalised … by your rich countries who have the capabilities and the fire power. Of course, there is a cost attached to it but it should not be an excessive price attached to it.`
*Economic recovery*
He said South Africa had entered the pandemic on a `weak wicket` with an economy already in the red
Ramaphosa pledged an economic recovery plan to deal with the devastation brought on by the pandemic was on its way.
He said the timeline was `soonest`, within two to three weeks. `Government to a large degree has run out of money and we will have to cobble money together but fortunately some aspects of this recovery plan will be funded through a variety of methods. Private sector will play a key role, government will play a key role and we will all need to put shoulder to wheel.
`I have said this to the social partners who wanted a little bit of extension that we need to move forward so that we are able to put the plan to the nation.`
When asked about possible changes to his executive, Ramaphosa skirted around the issue.
`You want to know if there will be changes in Cabinet … I don`t know.
Would you like to see changes?`

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