The South African government has retained the COVID-19 lockdown at adjusted level 1, or the lowest of a five-tier system of restrictions, as Omicron variant spreads rapidly in the country, the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) said on Thursday, reported Reuters.
The highly mutated Omicron strain was first detected in South Africa last month and sparked global panic as it is feared to be more contagious than other variants. The country has reported more than 20,000 new daily COVID-19 infections in the past few days.
“The Council has directed the department to closely monitor the rising COVID-19 infections,” the South African health department said in a statement.
The department said that it would also track hospital admissions, mortality, and recovery rates. It added that these factors were all largely driven by the Omicron variant, which was contributing to the fourth wave of infections.
The National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) appealed to the South African people to play a role in avoiding the further spread of the virus through social distancing, mask-wearing, and sanitization and to avoid mass gatherings that could turn out to be super-spreaders of the coronavirus.
The NCCC said the fourth wave of the coronavirus is spreading way quicker as compared to previous waves, the rates of hospitalizations and deaths, however, remain relatively low.
South African Health Minister Joe Phaahla has urged people, especially those who are unvaccinated or partly vaccinated coming from areas declared hotspots, to get themselves vaccinated in order to protect their families and friends while meeting them during the festival season.
South Africa has been the worst affected country by the COVID-19 pandemic in the continent, reporting the maximum number of cases and deaths related to the disease.
A number of countries have introduced travel bans affecting South Africa and its neighboring countries after the emergence of Omicron, but this has failed to stop it from spreading around the world.
