COVID-19 WRAP | E.Cape accounts for over half of SA's new Covid-19 cases & worldwide virus cases cross 62.27 million

November 30 2020 - 21:39

Eastern Cape again accounts for more than half SA's new Covid-19 infections

The Eastern Cape accounted for 1,217 of the 2,302 Covid-19 infections confirmed across the country in the past 24 hours.

The Western Cape accounted for 720 of the new infections, meaning that the neighbouring provinces combined for 1,991 (just under 86.5%) of all new infections.

Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize on Monday announced that the new cases took the country to 790,004 cases since the outbreak started. At current growth rates, the country is likely to surpass the 800,000 mark before the weekend.

November 30 2020 - 17:43

'Mini-lockdowns' on cards for Western Cape as hospitalisations climb

As Covid-19 infections rise again, Western Cape premier Alan Winde has warned that “mini-lockdowns” are a “blunt instrument” but might be the only solution if the resurgence is not stopped in its tracks.

“Covid-19 numbers are still climbing in the Garden Route and now in Cape Town too, and this is very concerning for me,” Winde said on Monday.

He said the growth week-on-week was “way too high” and that “everyone needs to play their part in slowing it down”.

November 30 2020 - 15:04

Covid-19 will influence 2021 voter turnout but SA has bigger political trust issues: Mathekga

Political analyst Ralph Mathekga says low voter turnout should be expected in the 2021 local government elections, not only because of the Covid-19 pandemic but also due to poor performance by local governments.

Mathekga told TimesLIVE that while a lot has been said about how the pandemic will likely influence the August election, broken trust between the government and voters had long affected voter turnout.

November 30 2020 - 15:03

POLL | Covid-19 cases in SA approach 800,000 - are you still following lockdown rules?

The health department says SA has identified nearly 800,000 Covid-19 cases, and minister Zweli Mkhize has urged South Africans to exercise caution and use the Covid Alert SA app to protect themselves against the coronavirus.

Gauteng, the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape have the most cases.

The Eastern Cape and Western Cape are in the spotlight following a resurgence in infection and hospitalisation rates in recent weeks.

November 30 2020 - 13:17

UK to relax shop opening hours rules over Christmas and through January

British minister Robert Jenrick said on Monday he was relaxing rules to allow shops to stay open for longer over Christmas and in January.

"I am relaxing shop opening hours this Christmas and throughout January, and have requested councils allow businesses on every high street to stay open later from Monday to Saturday," Jenrick said on Twitter.

"None of us enjoy navigating the crowds, and none would relish that when social distancing is so important to controlling the virus."

-REUTERS

November 30 2020 - 11:47

Russia reports 26,338 new coronavirus cases, 368 deaths

Russia reported 26,338 new coronavirus cases on Monday, including 6,511 in Moscow and 3,691 in St Petersburg, taking the national total to 2,295,654 cases since the pandemic began.

Authorities also reported 368 deaths in the last 24 hours, pushing the official death toll to 39,895.

-REUTERS

November 30 2020 - 09:28

Germans must do more to reduce contacts to curb pandemic, minister says

The number of COVID-19 infections is still much too high in most German regions and people must do more to reduce their contacts to slow the spread of the disease, German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk on Monday.

Altmaier, a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, added that pandemic relief aid for companies cannot be extended indefinitely and taxes will not be raised in this parliamentary term, which will likely last until late next year. 

-REUTERS

November 30 2020 - 07:28

Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 62.27 million, death toll at 1,454,628

More than 62.27 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 1,454,628​ have died, according to a Reuters tally.

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019. 

-REUTERS