The government is considering the further easing of lockdown restrictions as South Africa continues to see a decline in the third wave of its Covid-19 cases.
Health Minister Joe Phaahla on Friday said when compared to the previous seven days, overall new Covid-19 cases are now down by 35%.
The country’s positivity rate has also declined to an average of 9.3%, he said.
The minister said this data indicates that South Africa is now close to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) metric for a ‘stable’ infection rate of 5%.
“If we continue to comply with the personal health and safety measures, more relaxations will be on the way. We will be reporting to the national coronavirus command council in two weeks, and if there continues to be good cooperation, the (rules) will be relaxed,” Phaahla said.
Vaccine roll-out
The Health Department is still targeting 300 000 Covid-19 vaccinations per day, and to have vaccinated 70% of adults by Christmas.
Currently, only about 13.2% of the country’s population is fully vaccinated.