LISTEN: Sit-down eateries, cinemas, hair salons set to re-open
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday announced further relaxation of coronavirus restrictions, allowing sit-down dining for restaurants and for personal care salons to resume operations despite record daily cases.
In an address to the nation, Ramaphosa said cinemas and theatres, hotels and business conferences and meetings would be allowed to resume but under stringent safety requirements.
A date is yet to be announced for the easing.
"We have taken this decision with due care and seriousness, appreciating the risks associated with each activity and the measures needed to manage those risks," he said in an address more than three months since the first case was detected in the country.
Businesses have been shut for nearly three months since he ordered a hard lockdown on March 27.
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Ramaphosa said the government of the continent’s most advanced economy "knew that a nation-wide lockdown could not be sustained indefinitely".
He made the announcement as the numbers of cases jumped by more than 4,000 in a single day to 80,412 of which 1,674 have died.
"Over the last few weeks, the number of infections has been rising rapidly," he said.
About a third of confirmed cases have been recorded in the last week alone as the country gradually reopened the economy and allowed more movement.
The country has the highest numbers of recorded infections on the African continent.
Listen to the full speech below:
