President Cyril Ramaphosa. Picture: GCIS
PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation on Monday evening over the latest developments in the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The exact time of the President’s address will be announced on Monday.
The address comes after meetings he held with the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC), the President’s Coordinating Council (PCC) and a special sitting of Cabinet.
“The address will be broadcast and streamed on a range of platforms that are accessible to South Africans and international audiences,” said Tyrone Seale, acting spokesperson to the President in a statement released on Sunday.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize confirmed on Saturday that the country has recorded 7,882 new Covid-19 cases and a further 154 deaths from the virus over the past 24 hours.
The cumulative number of cases in the country stands at 852,965 and to date 23,106 people have died as a result of the coronavirus.
The Health Minister added that the second wave is now firmly established, propelling soaring infection rates in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.
Mkhize urged the youth to protect their elders from the coronavirus by observing pandemic protocols ahead of the Christmas festivities.
“As we are confronted by the heavy storm approaching us, I must take the opportunity to appeal to the public, particularly our youth, to be fully conscious of their agency and the role they must play to protect everyone from the devastation of Covid-19,” he said.
“We must choose between life, sickness or death” as the country faces the devastating second wave of the Covid-19 infections,“ Mkhize added.