President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday announced that government is now preparing for a further easing of the lockdown and a gradual opening of the economy. Alert levels 3 to 1 will allow a progressively greater relaxation of restrictions. 

The president said some areas of the country may be designated at a particular alert level while others may be designated at other levels. 

The move comes after a careful negotiation between the associated risks of continuing restrictions on economic activity and the likelihood of an upsurge in positive Covid-19 cases, should the lockdown be ended abruptly. 

What government has achieved in this time is immeasurable in its efforts to combat the virus. 

Close to 10 million people have been screened for symptoms of the virus and testing in the public and private sector has been ramped up exponentially, with 270,000 more tests being conducted in this period than initially planned for. 

Government has also worked fervently to increase the number of beds in hospitals across the country in preparation for an influx of patients suffering from Covid-19 symptoms.

The two phases of lockdown experienced thus far, levels 4 and 5, have been implemented successfully, assisting in flattening the curve of the Covid-19 spread and buying government precious time to strengthen the healthcare system. 

But the collective response to the virus has not come without challenges. 

In some instances, data emerging on case numbers in some provinces has been misaligned and sometimes inaccurate. Covid-19 hotspots have emerged in Eastern Cape and Western Cape, with more than half the country’s cases emanating from the two provinces. 

Cluster outbreaks concentrated in and around Cape Town are driving the pandemic in these regions and require targeted efforts to track, and trace contacts in Western Cape and Eastern Cape. 

The time has now come to look forward to the horizon and to take bold steps to beat the virus. Government has thus prepared a district-based approach to its Covid-19 response, moving away from a one-size-fits-all method. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has provided sound guidelines for countries contemplating the easing of lockdown. These include: 

–   Evidence showing that the Covid-19 transmission is controlled and the public health capacity in that area can easily identify, isolate, test, treat and quarantine every case and trace every contact.

–   Outbreak risks need to be minimal and preventative measures in workplaces and schools need to be put in place.

–   The risk of importation must be managed and communities must be empowered to adjust to new norms under different levels of lockdown. 

Districts have therefore been differentiated in accordance with the average active cases experienced over one week. Depending on the average active cases per 100,000 people, districts will be individually assigned levels of lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus. 

The case numbers will be monitored and the National Command Council will review the level of lockdown per district every two weeks. 

Inter-sectoral and inter-departmental oversight structures will be put in place with the guidance of national government, and corresponding regulations pertaining to each level of lockdown will be integrated into each district. 

Community organisations – specifically local government, civil society, religious organisations and community policing forums – will be empowered to monitor compliance and enforce regulations. This should mobilise communities together, rather than create hostility against members of the police and the army. 

While these measures are put in place, more needs to be done to bolster our healthcare system. Professional medical teams need to be reinforced with medical experts, psychologists and social scientists. 

Each district should have a dedicated rapid response team to intervene should there be cluster outbreaks while screening, testing and case management is conducted. 

According to current estimations, without the implementation of the lockdown and other measures that have been put in place, at least 80,000 South Africans could have been infected with Covid-19 by now and our death toll could have been eight times higher. 

The lockdown was therefore absolutely necessary. 

But while South Africans move to different levels of lockdown, the fundamentals of Covid-19 prevention should not be forgotten. Physical distancing, wearing cloth masks in public and regular hand hygiene should persist. DM/MC