South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday urged his compatriots to remain vigilant against the Covid-19 pandemic to prevent a “second wave” from taking root ahead of the forthcoming December festivities in the country.
Speaking during his weekly message to the nation, Ramaphosa said the country was on its way to economic recovery following months of relief operations and the citizenry should be vigilant to ensure full recovery after eight months of fighting the virus.
“It is all the more critical at this time, more so with the festive season approaching, that we do not become the architects of our own undoing,” Ramaphosa said.
According to the president, “the greatest vigilance is required from all of us to keep the virus at bay.”
Ramaphosa said a resurgence of the disease at any scale would not just dramatically reverse the country’s health gains, but it “will choke the green shoots of economic recovery that have emerged, and take us back from spring to winter.”
To prevent a second wave of the virus infections, the country must continue to observe the public health guidelines that still remain in place, the president said.
“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. Let us all continue to play our part,” he added.
The deadly respiratory disease, which broke out in March 2020 in this country, has killed nearly 20,000 people here, according to the South African health ministry.
NM/jn/APA