Johannesburg – As most parts of Soth Africa prepare to move to level three lockdown restrictions, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has admitted that according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), South Africa doesn’t qualify to move down the levels just yet.
Mkhize said this while at a briefing with health experts on Tuesday night on the country’s Covid-19 projections.
South Africa now has 17,200 cases with 312 deaths.
Mkhize explained the criteria for easing lockdown regulations from the WHO.
“The WHO has said that we need to start showing that the numbers are declining, and infections are not increasing. We are nowhere near that,” Mkhize said.
Mkhize also said that is not the only thing the country had to take into account before deciding on moving down the levels of restrictions.
“We are balancing the issue of hunger, food security, job protection, the issue of the economy and the issue of constriction to social disruption. Those are the issues we have to take into account,” he said.
On the positive side, the minister said community transmission had remained low except for the Western Cape and Eastern Cape.
