South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday said the country will reimpose a liquor ban to reduce the number of trauma patients that have taken up space in hospitals, where beds are now desperately needed to accommodate a surge of coronavirus patients.
Confronted by this surge, South Africa is also reinstating a night curfew to reduce traffic accidents and made it mandatory for all residents to wear face masks when in public.
In a nationally televised address Sunday night, Ramaphosa said top health officials are warning of impending shortages of hospital beds and medical oxygen as South Africa reaches a peak of coronavirus cases, expected between the end of July and September. He said some hospitals have had to turn away patients because all the beds are full.
South Africa's rapid increase in reported cases has made it one of the world's hot spots of COVID-19. Johns Hopkins University, which tallies worldwide figures, ranks South Africa as the ninth country most affected by the disease.
The country has reported increases of more than 10,000 confirmed cases for several days, and the latest daily increase was nearly 13,500. South Africa accounts for 40 percent of all the confirmed cases in Africa, with 276,242 -- an increase of 12,058 in one day.
South Africa imposed one of the world's strictest lockdowns in April and May, including closing virtually all mines, factories and businesses, and implemented a ban on sales of liquor and cigarettes. The measures slowed the spread of the coronavirus but South Africa's economy contracted dramatically, increasing unemployment and hunger.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/south-africa-liquor-ban-coronavirus-hospital-space