This evening, as I stand here before you, our nation is confronted by the gravest crisis in the history of our democracy. For more than 120 days, we have succeeded in delaying the spread of a virus that is causing devastation across the globe. We delayed the spread of the virus by working together and by maintaining our resolve.
While the surge in infections has been expected, the force and the speed with which it has progressed has, quite understandably, caused great concern.Like the massive cold fronts that sweep into our country from the South Atlantic at this timeo f year, there are few parts of the country that will remain untouched by the coronavirus.
Yet, while infections rise exponentially, it is important to note that our case fatality rate of 1.5% is among the lowest in the world.We owe the relatively low number of deaths in our country to the experience and dedication of our health professionals and the urgent measures we have taken to build the capacity of our health system which faced a number of its own inherent challenges before Covid-19.More than 134,000 South Africans have recovered from the coronavirus.
In the midst of our national effort to fight against this virus, there are a number of people who have taken to organising parties, who have drinking sprees, and some who walk around in crowded spaces without masks. We now know of several tragic instances where people who have organised or attended social gatherings, including gatherings with family, have contracted the virus and have died. In the midst of such a pandemic, getting into a taxi without a face mask, gathering to meet friends, attending parties or even visiting family, can too easily spread the virus and cost lives.
Most importantly, we must keep a safe distance — of at least 2m — from other people. There is now emerging evidence that the virus may also be carried in tiny particles in the air in places that are crowded, closed or have poor air circulation. For this reason we must immediately improve the indoor environment of public places where the risk of infection is greatest.
On the advice of health scientists and experts, our decision to declare a nationwide lockdown prevented a massive early surge of infections when our health services were less prepared, which would have resulted in a far greater loss of lives.
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