South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has cautioned the people of the country not to become the architects of their own undoing, reported Eyewitness News.
In his weekly letter to the public released on Monday, the president said all citizens observe the greatest vigilance to keep the coronavirus at bay.
“A resurgence at any scale will not just dramatically reverse our health gains. It will choke the green shoots of economic recovery that have emerged, and take us back from spring to winter,” he said.
The South African president urged all observe the public health guidelines that remain in place to prevent a second wave of Covid-19 infections.
“When we fail to wear a mask at a social gathering when we attend crowded events, we are not only putting ourselves and others at risk. We are also putting our economic recovery in jeopardy,” the letter read.
Ramaphosa said that the positive actions of wearing a mask, regular hand washing, and of maintaining social distancing helped the country overcome the worst effects of the pandemic.
He urged people to continue to observe all the health measures even as most social and economic activities have resumed. He said maintaining all measures are absolutely necessary to rebuild the country’s ailing economy and to put the crisis behind.
The South African president is expected to brief the nation this week on the country’s strategy around the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the South African Health Ministry, the country reported 1,372 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday (8 November), taking the total reported cases to 737,278. The total number of deaths has surpassed 19,809, while recoveries climbed to 679,688, leaving the country with a balance of 37,781 active cases.
South Africa is the worst coronavirus affected country on the African continent and is the thirteenth most-affected nation globally. It has conducted over 4.8 million tests for the virus so far.
