DA leader John Steenhuisen has called the latest measures imposed by the government to fight the surge in COVID-19 infections, a distraction from the real issue of the government’s incompetence.
On Sunday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the reintroduction of a night curfew from Monday, immediate suspension of alcohol sales, the mandatory wearing of face masks, and restricted occupancy on long-distance taxis.
“Why after one of the hardest and longest lockdowns in the world is our health system still not prepared to meet the crisis. Why do we still need field hospitals, why do we still need oxygen cylinders why do we still not have proper beds to take in patients. Those are the questions that we should be asking this evening. It is not good enough for the President [Cyril Ramaphosa] to blame South Africans. His government had a long lockdown and what we should have been preparing for was the crisis we knew was coming,” explains Steenhuisen.
The President’s address followed a number of meetings of the Cabinet, the National Coronavirus Command Council, and the President’s Coordinating Council.
The National Coronavirus Command Council met earlier this week to consider the Gauteng government’s request to reimpose stricter lockdown regulations.
