IN QUOTES | Dlamini-Zuma says government will review lockdown restrictions after Covid-19 peak

Co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma says it is too early to tell how long Covid-19 lockdown regulations will remain in place.

Dlamini-Zuma was briefing media on Tuesday on lockdown level 3 regulations after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address to the nation on Monday.

The president announced that SA would remain on adjusted level 3 of the lockdown. Alcohol sales and distribution remain prohibited and so are beach activities in hotspot areas.

Here are five key quotes from Dlamini-Zuma’s briefing:

Regulations protect lives 

“The regulations are not just meant for their sake. They are in place because of what is happening with infections. The infection rate is high. The president did say some regulations will be reviewed when we have passed the peak and the numbers have dropped sufficiently to allow us to remove some regulations.”

No certainty about end of lockdown 

“If we were to give certainty and a date when the regulations will no longer apply, what if  infections have not dropped sufficiently to allow that? We must understand the regulations are there to save lives. They are not arbitrarily put in place.” 

State of disaster 

“It is very difficult to give certainty over something you do not. What I can say is the law only allows us to extend the national state of disaster every month, so that is why we do it monthly. This doesn't mean on February 15 the number of Covid-19 infections will be low.” 

Determining factors for lockdown

“It will depend on the number of infections and deaths and the state of our hospitals. Are they under stress? It is not possible to say on such a day the regulations will be gone.”

New regulations for banks

“The new regulation is that every bank and financial institution must ensure there are sanitisers at all ATMs because these facilities could become superspreaders.”

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