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South Africa resumes restrictions to fight surge

Published:Sunday | June 27, 2021 | 6:58 PM
A COVID-19 patient is admitted to a hospital in Johannesburg, Wednesday, June 23, 2021. South Africa's third wave of COVID-19 infections is overwhelming the health system in Gauteng, the country's most populous province that is now running out of beds to treat patients. (AP Photo)

JOHANNESBURG — South Africa has reintroduced tough restrictions including a ban on alcohol sales and an extended nightly curfew as it fights a fast-increasing surge of COVID-19 cases.

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the delta variant that was first discovered in India appears to be driving South Africa's new increase.

South Africa recorded more than 15,000 new cases Sunday including 122 deaths.

That brings its total fatalities to near 60,000.

The country's most populous province of Gauteng has the brunt of the current surge accounting for about 66% of new infections.

The province includes the largest city Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria.

Health authorities are concerned that the country's eight other provinces are likely to soon see spikes in cases to match those in Gauteng, where hospitals are running short of COVID-19 beds and patients are being taken to health facilities in other provinces.

Neighbouring Zimbabwe, Namibia and Mozambique are also fighting growing numbers of cases, hospitalisations and deaths.

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