As South Africa continues to fight against the second wave of Covid-19 infections, cases continue to rise despite preventative measures set in place.

This week alone saw the country record 39 848 cumulative cases, bringing total Covid-19 cases to 892 813 as of Thursday, 17 December.

Wednesday, 16 December saw South Africa surpass the 10 000 mark for new infections, with Health Minister, Zweli Mkhize noting that cases were rising “exponentially”.

“Our positivity rate is sitting at 21%. This far exceeds the ideal positivity rate of 10%,” his statement reads.

At the time, eight of the nine provinces reported, what Mkhize said, were significant increases, especially in the Western Cape where cases breached the 3 000 mark. The Eastern Cape, at the time, were the only province to report a decrease in cases. “We continue to assess the entire country and where we identify risks, we will engage and make a determination if further containment measures or restrictions are required,” he said.

Thursday saw the country record 9 216 new cases. 184 deaths were reported: 103 in the Eastern Cape, 58 in the Western Cape, 11 in Gauteng, 8 in Kwa Zulu-Natal and 4 in the Free State.

This brings the total number of deaths to 24 077. The country’s recoveries stands at 780 313 and 6 011 235 tests have been conducted with 42 543 new tests conducted since the last report.

Earlier in the week, President Cyril Ramaphosa said extensive consultations were done to mitigate potential losses in the economy while efforts are made to curb the spread of Covid-19 amid the current second wave.

Further restrictions were put in place as precautionary measures with immediate effect as of midnight, on 15 December, which included the curfew moving from 23:00 to 04:00.

Non-essential establishments, including restaurants and bars have to close at 22:00 so that staff and patrons can get home before the enforcement of the curfew.

In addition, the Garden Route and the Sarah Baartman district were declared as hotspots where the same precautions will now apply as in Nelson Mandela Bay.

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