Gauteng health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi said on Wednesday the province would intensify efforts to get more residents to either vaccinate or get their booster shots before the Easter weekend.
The drop in daily Covid-19 infections and lifting of the state of disaster should not be cause for complacency.
The initiatives to bolster vaccinations will include pop-up vaccination sites in the Johannesburg city centre and stadiums.
“On Tuesday, April 5, the Gauteng government engaged the Premier Soccer League, led by Dr Irvin Khoza, to look at how the vaccination drive can be made easily accessible to thousands of soccer fans, including bringing pop-up sites to soccer matches,” she said.
Co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said on Monday the state of disaster could be reinstated if necessary. She was responding to questions about how the government would respond if SA experienced a fifth wave of infections as seen in other countries.
“The Disaster Management Act only kicks in when there is a disaster,” she said. “It does not apply in anticipation of a disaster. The definition is clear. However, if the fifth wave is such that the pandemic becomes a disaster, the act will come back and the national state of disaster will come back.”
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Sama calls for continued Covid-19 vaccination efforts after lifting of state of disaster
Image: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
The SA Medical Association (Sama) says more South Africans need to get vaccinated against Covid-19, despite the lifting of the national state of disaster.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the lifting of the state of disaster earlier this week. He said the pandemic will be managed in terms of the National Health Act and draft regulations were published for public comment.
Transitional regulations, including the wearing of masks indoors and restricted gatherings, will be in place for 30 days.
Sama CEO Vusumuzi Nhlapho said the association will add its input to the draft regulations and expressed support for the lifting of the state of disaster.
“Sama supports the transitional restrictions. Intensive campaigning for more people to vaccinate against Covid-19 needs to continue unabated despite the NSD being lifted. The medical profession has learnt many valuable lessons during the pandemic that must inform public health in SA in future,” said Nhlapho.
Gauteng health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi said on Wednesday the province would intensify efforts to get more residents to either vaccinate or get their booster shots before the Easter weekend.
The drop in daily Covid-19 infections and lifting of the state of disaster should not be cause for complacency.
The initiatives to bolster vaccinations will include pop-up vaccination sites in the Johannesburg city centre and stadiums.
“On Tuesday, April 5, the Gauteng government engaged the Premier Soccer League, led by Dr Irvin Khoza, to look at how the vaccination drive can be made easily accessible to thousands of soccer fans, including bringing pop-up sites to soccer matches,” she said.
Co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said on Monday the state of disaster could be reinstated if necessary. She was responding to questions about how the government would respond if SA experienced a fifth wave of infections as seen in other countries.
“The Disaster Management Act only kicks in when there is a disaster,” she said. “It does not apply in anticipation of a disaster. The definition is clear. However, if the fifth wave is such that the pandemic becomes a disaster, the act will come back and the national state of disaster will come back.”
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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