Adjusted lockdown level 4 restrictions which were announced by president Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday 27 June could last much longer than the announced 14-day period.
This is according to the Bureau for Economic Research (BER).
In its weekly report, and the forecast for the month ahead the BER indicated that the current Level 4 lockdown restrictions may be extended beyond their provisional deadline of Sunday 11 July due to the impact of the Delta variant.
“Besides the severe impact it is having on the health sector, the upcoming week’s COVID stats should influence whether the government decides on an extension of the 2-week adjusted Level 4 regulations. Given the progression of the third wave since the measures were announced, we think that most, if not all, of the current restrictions will be extended.”
“While it is too early to tell whether the restrictions helped in limiting the spread of COVID cases, the direct impact of the restrictions, the third wave and subsequent changes in consumer/firm behaviour on businesses is already apparent,” BER said in a statement.
In the past 24-hours South Africa recorded 16 585 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 062 896.
“This increase represents a 30.2% positivity rate. As per the National Department of Health, a further 333 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 61 840 to date,” the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Sunday.