LIVE | Covid-19 in SA: Nearly 500 new deaths as cases hit 1 021 451

SA's latest Covid-19 numbers

There are now 1 021 451 cases, after 9 580 new infections.

The death toll is now at 27 568 after 497 new deaths. 

The recovery rate is at 84%, with 858 456 recoveries in total.

Adjusted Level 3 lockdown: All you need to know about booze, beaches, bars, and borders

South Africa will spend the next two weeks under an adjusted Level 3 lockdown, as hospitals struggle to cope with the resurgence of Covid-19 cases.

New regulations regarding the sale of alcohol, curfew, social gatherings, and access to beaches were gazetted on Tuesday morning.

FACTBOX | Spread of new variant: Latest on worldwide spread of the coronavirus

More countries detected the mutated variant of the coronavirus, with India reporting its first few cases and South Africa tightened its lockdown restrictions amid an increase in cases.

WRAP | Ten takeaways from the media briefing led by Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Minister Zweli Mkhize and Minister Bheki Cele:

Alcohol will not be sold and will not be allowed to be transported. Wine tasting will not be allowed. Onsite and offsite consumption has been prohibited. 

Ministers have reiterated the curfew conditions which include: Only those with valid permits will be allowed outside during curfew hours. An exception will be made for flights landing during restricted hours. 

Restaurants, libraries, museums, cinemas, theatres will remain open to a maximum of 50 people while adhering to 1.5 metre spacing in between. Outdoor restaurants are allowed to seat a maximum of 100 people. 

Zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums will still be in operation, other parks and recreational facilities will be closed. 

Funerals will be the only gatherings allowed under adjusted Level 3 Lockdown and should be kept under a time limit of two hours, with a maximum of 50 people, if the venue permits. No after tears will be allowed. 

Initiation schools are to be closed. Those currently undergoing initiation will be allowed to conclude proceedings; however, no new initiations may take place, nor post-initiation celebrations.

No further adjustments or alterations have been made to international and interprovincial travel. Both are permitted under adjusted Level 3 Lockdown.

Establishments that only operate in the trade of alcohol, such as bars, nightclubs, shebeens and taverns, will remain closed. 

Beaches in the Northern Cape remain accessible. Dams and rivers will not be accessible nationally, other than for the purpose of water-collection for personal use.

Walking of dogs and jogging will be allowed, but not on beaches within the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

Chaos as SA’s sudden new curfew sees flights bumped and airline call centres overwhelmed

There was chaos and many, many angry passengers on Tuesday morning as airlines scrambled to deal with the implications of an extended curfew across South Africa, at what amounted to no notice.

You can still go to the beach in South Africa – but only in these two far-flung districts

Public access to beaches in Covid-19 hotspots has been revoked under adjusted Level 3 lockdown regulations.

Beaches around St Lucia, Sodwana Bay, Kosi Bay, Hondeklip Bay, and Port Nolloth will remain open.

People who arrive at airports during curfew hours will be allowed to travel, providing proof of ticket/ passport stamps. 

Cele: There are people walking around knowing they are positive. It cannot be allowed. Those people must be reported. That is a serious offence. 

Those are the three things that we will be working on: masks, alcohol and places 

With regards to the curfew, are not going to tell you to go home, we will give you a home. And you go and greet the magistrates. One minute past nine, ensure you are in your house.

Don't put alcohol in bottles with 0% alcohol. If we find something different in the teapot and not rooibos in the teapot, we will make sure you lose your license. 

Cele: Alcohol cannot be sold anymore. Wherever alcohol is now, it stays. 

No taking alcohol from next door to next door. You don't take it from section A to section B to go enjoy there. The alcohol shall not be moved, you will be arrested. 

We are going to be tough. Those that have licenses, if they break the law by selling it illegally, those licenses will be taken and they will go to prison. 

No one will be allowed to automatically go to the beach after two weeks, it will be reviewed after two weeks. 

People will be allowed to fetch water at rivers/dams, but not to go there and have your own picnic.

You only drink alcohol in your house, don't take it out of there. 

Bheki Cele: Our job as SAPS is not to make laws but to enforce laws. 

We need to deal with the safety of the people, that's our jobs. We are part of what is happening. Mkhize and NDZ have read out the regulations.

Masks have been a problem for a really long time, police have previously pleaded with people to wear their marks. Enforcement has been heightened. If you don't wear your mask, you will be arrested. We will not deny the opportunity to arrest you. The police stations are not empty, but there is a place for you if you break the law. 

Mkhize: We need to reduce the impact on the facilities. ICUs are full of trauma-related incidents. When there is a lift of the alcohol ban, trauma cases increases. Trauma cases are significantly reduced by the suspension of alcohol. 

At the moment our hospitals are managing but the load has increased. We are increasing on the testing but people must come and seek assistance. 

Northern Cape is the only place people can still go to the beach. 

Restaurants, libraries, museums, cinemas, theatres will remain open to a maximum of 50 people.

Parks and recreational facilities are closed except zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums. 

Liquor cannot be sold for on/off site consumption.

Transportation of liquor only allowed for export and transportation to manufacturers. 

Initiation schools open all have to be closed now. Those already in the initiation process will be allowed to finish, however, no new initiations may take place. All the celebrations that take place after initiations will be put to a halt. 

It is a really grave situation and we must really look after ourselves, NDZ says.

With regards to international travel and public transport, nothing has changed, NDZ says.

Please observe the curfew, NDZ says.

When it comes to funerals, which is one gathering that is allowed, we were at 100 people before, but now we have to be 50 people, sitting 1.5 metres apart. If the venue you are at cannot accompany 50 people sitting 1.5 metres apart, it must be half the amount of people.

The funeral should not take more than two hours. After tears are not allowed. this is because funerals are super-spreaders because people tend to sing and sometimes they cough and so on. The shorter the service, the better. The president did say that social gatherings are prohibited for two weeks, and after that it will be reviewed. People can still go to restaurants, casinos, galleries, archives, but they have to be 50 people maximum inside.

Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (NDZ): Last night the president warned us of the dangers of the coronavirus, and warned us that we have to stick to the protocols.

Collectively and individually, if we behave we can actually defeat this virus, NDZ said the president reminded us. 

The curfew now starts at 9pm, NDZ reiterates. The virus does not move, it is moved by us. When we are at home we must sanitise. It's important to wear the mask when you are at home and when you are in public.

What is different this time, is that wearing a mask is mandatory, you can be sent to prison if you don't. We must all wear the mask and protect each other and one another. Please just wear your mask, and there will be no problem. 

FIRST TAKE | Move to Level 3: Ramaphosa's careful balancing act as local elections loom

It was a told-you-so, but it was heartfelt as a serious-looking President Cyril Ramaphosa begged South Africans to adhere to the adjusted Level 3 lockdown regulations he was announcing to help stem the surge in Covid-19 infections in the country.

As the grip of the lockdown tightened again, this time there were no grants and rescue packages to sugarcoat the damage the new measures are likely to cause to businesses, especially in the tourism and hospitality industry during their peak season.  

Ban on alcohol sales: Does the industry and South Africans only have themselves to blame?

Reckless behaviour due to alcohol intoxication has contributed to increased coronavirus infections and alcohol-related accidents and violence are putting pressure on hospital emergency units, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday evening.

On Sunday, South Africa passed the one million mark of confirmed coronavirus cases. Nearly 27 000 South Africans are known to have died from Covid-19 and more than 50 000 new cases have been reported since Christmas Eve.

EXPLAINER | Alcohol ban, curfew and more hotspots: 10 takeaways from Ramaphosa’s speech

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday evening announced that South Africa will return to Lockdown Level 3 - last seen in August - amid a spike in coronavirus infections. 

In an address, a visibly emotional Ramaphosa said the number of infections have been growing at an “unprecedented rate” in the country as people have started letting their guard down.  

WATCH | Emotional Ramaphosa's message to SA: 'We let down our guard and are now paying the price'  

A visibly emotional President Cyril Ramaphosa told the nation on Monday evening that it has let its guard down recently in dealing with life during the Covid-19 pandemic, and as a result the country was now paying the price.

"We have not been wearing masks, we are not washing our hands or sanitising and we are not keeping a safe distance from others."

FULL SPEECH | Ramaphosa warns of grave danger as he announces slew of stricter restrictions  

Fellow South Africans,

In just four days from now, we will be ushering in a new year.

This is traditionally a time of festivity and celebrating. Unfortunately, for us here in South Africa and for others around the world, there is little cause for celebration this year.

SA's latest number of Covid-19 cases is at 1 011 871. The death toll is at 27 071, after 336 more deaths.

Today's top story | Alcohol ban reinstated, new curfew, more hotspots identified - emotional Ramaphosa announces new measures to cope with Covid-19 outbreak 

President Cyril Ramaphosa has made a dramatic announcement that South Africa is back at lockdown Level 3 - which means the sale of alcohol is banned, and a new curfew of between 21:00 and 06:00.

The president has also announced that failing to wear a mask could now see someone be fined and spend up to six months in prison.

All gatherings - both indoor and outdoor, except for funerals - are now banned for 14 days. These new regulations will be enforced at least until 15 January 2021.

He also announced a host of new hotspot areas, including major cities like Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.

Already, the government has enforced a closure of KwaZulu-Natal beaches on certain earmarked busy days.

The Garden Route and the Sarah Baartman districts, as well as the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality have been declared hotspots.

The new hotspots are: Chris Hani District, Buffalo City, Alfred Nzo, and the OR Tambo District in the Eastern Cape.

In KZN it is: Ilembe District, eThekwini, Umgungdlovu district, Ugu district, Harry Gwala, King Cetshwayo.

Gauteng is: West Rand district, Tshwane, Ekhuruleni and Johannesburg.

Western Cape: Winelands, City of Cape Town, Central Karoo. For the North West: the Bojonala district, and in Limpopo: The Waterberg and Capricorn districts are hotspots.

Ramaphosa was addressing the nation on Monday night on the latest lockdown measures - his third address of this kind in just six weeks.

He was speaking a day after the number of Covid-19 cases in the country topped one million, against a backdrop of a health system that is stretched thin due to an increase in patients.

It also follows the announcement that South Africa is battling a new variant of the virus, which is said to possibly be spreading faster and is having a critical effect on patients who do not have comorbidities.

A visibly emotional Ramaphosa pleaded with South Africans - who he said have become complacent - to adhere to physical distancing and proper hygiene, and to stop attending social gatherings.

Ramaphosa, while acknowledging that the liquor industry is a major employer, said: "Our priority at this time, however, is to save lives. Alcohol-related incidents are putting pressure on our healthcare system."

He said: "I had a conversation with a friend who informed me that they had lost five family members who attended funerals.

"This virus is real. As young people we may feel strong and invincible. As a result, we let our guard down and we take risks.

"Many of those who have lost their friends or family will tell you how much they regret not taking the precautions that have been so well advertised.

"We can only weather this storm if we change our behaviour and our mindsets."

Ramaphosa said, meanwhile, he will light a candle at a spot in Cape Town at midnight on New Year's Eve for those who have lost their lives and for the healthcare workers.

He called on South Africans to do the same. "Let us work as one big nation, united and determined. "There will be the day when the pandemic is over. On that day, we must be able to tell each other 'we gave it all, we worked together and we won'."

- Kerushun Pillay

Ramaphosa says he will light a candle at a spot in Cape Town at midnight on New Year's Eve for those who have lost their lives and for the healthcare workers.

He calls on South Africans to do the same. "Let us work as one big nation, united and determined. 

"There will be the day when the pandemic is over. On that day, we must be able to tell each other 'we gave it all, we worked together and we won'."

The president has wrapped up his address.

Ramaphosa says it has "been a horrible year."

"We can, and we will, and we must defeat this pandemic, but we can only do so if we all play our part.

"If we experience any symptoms... you must isolate yourself and cancel all your plans.

"This New Year's Eve will be different than ones before. People have suggested that, instead of parties, let's spend time with those close to us."

He says it is each person's duty to protect other people. "Wearing a mask is not about your own appetite for risk. Instead, it is about protecting others.

"Only if everyone wears a mask we can protect each other. There are none among us who can claim we have not heard of someone becoming ill or dying. This crisis affects all of us. This is about our lives.

"The sooner we understand that it could be us in that hospital bed, or being buried, the sooner we come to the reality of what we are facing right now."

He says: "I had a conversation with a friend who informed me that they had lost five family members who attended funerals. This virus is real. As young people we may feel strong and invincible. As a result, we let our guard down and we take risks.

"Many of those who have lost their friends or family will tell you how much they regret not taking the precautions that have been so well advertised.

"We can only weather this storm if we change our behaviour and our mindsets."

Ramaphosa now speaks about the vaccine procurement.

He says SA is one of the first batch of countries to receive the vaccines, and it can be expected early next year. 

More announcements on the procurement of vaccines will be made in due course. 

He says the country is working to procure vaccines, but, until then, we have "no choice but to have high vigilence.

"We all have a duty to wear our masks, keep washing our hands and keep a safe distance from others."

JUST IN | New hotspots declared

Ramaphosa says, after consultations, the Chris Hani District, Buffalo City, Alfred Nzo, and the OR Tambo District are now hotspots.

In KZN it is: Ilembe District, eThekwini, Umgungdlovu district, Ugu district, Harry Gwala, King Cetshwayo.

Gauteng: West Rand district, Tshwane, Ekhuruleni and Johannesburg.

Western Cape: Winelands, City of Cape Town, Central Karoo.

North West: Bojonala district.

In Limpopo: The Waterberg and Capricorn districts are hotspots. 

JUST IN | The government has banned alcohol again

Ramaphosa says the liquor industry is a major employer. "Our priority at this time, however, is to save lives. Alcohol-related incidents are putting pressure on our healthcare system."

The sale of alcohol is no longer permitted. 

This regulation will be reviewed within the next few weeks and will see whether they should lift this curb. 

Nightclubs and bars that sell alcohol will not be allowed to operate, he says.

The new measures will be enforced until 15 January 2021.

BREAKING | Not wearing a mask is now a criminal offence

It is now compulsory for everyone to wear a mask, and it is now illegal for people not to report people who aren't wearing masks.

Anyone not wearing a mask can be prosecuted and face a fine or six months' imprisonment.

JUST IN | Ramaphosa announces Level 3 lockdown from midnight

He says the restrictions that apply on the new Level 3 will change based on what the government has learnt throughout the pandemic. 

Ramaphosa says the government wants to clamp down on superspreader events, increase prevention measures like hygiene, wearing masks and symptom testing. He says the government wants to alleviate the strain on healthcare workers.

*All indoor and outdoor gatherings, except funerals, will be prohibited for 14 days;
*The curfew is adjusted from 21:00 to 06:00;
*Non-essential establishments (shops, bars) must close at 20:00; 

The president says healthcare workers are "now at even greater risk than before. They are, themselves, almost at breakpoint. They could lose their lives... all because of our failure as people to take responsibility. We are at an extremely dangerous point in the pandemic. Unless we act decisively, the number of new infections will surpass what we saw in the first wave."

Ramaphosa cites a social media post by a local healthcare worker, who wrote that "half our consultants have Covid... more than half of my colleagues have Covid or are in quarantine. The hospital is full... we're not accepting any more patients and this is not even the peak."

Ramaphosa says, in the Eastern Cape, the number of hospital deaths have surpassed that of the first surge earlier this year. 

He says frontline healthcare workers, who have put their lives on the line to help people, are becoming infected. He says the total number of healthcare workers infected is about 41 000. 

Ramaphosa says people are seen to be only wearing masks to enter a venue, and they take it off thereafter. 

He says the consumption of alcohol has contributed to "risky behaviour" like removing masks and not observing physical distancing.

He says "excessive alcohol consumption" is driving up trauma cases at hospitals. He says the number of trauma cases increases with every relaxing of the lockdown regulations. This is putting a strain on the already-stretched health system.

The president says SA is "paying the price" of complacency. He says people are not wearing masks, failing to adhere to hygiene practices and are attending mass functions.

He says social gatherings increase the risk of transmission, especially in poorly-ventilated venues. 

Ramaphosa says the new Covid-19 variant is "well established" in SA, and that scientists have told him that it is more contagious than the virus that drove the first wave.

He says so-called superspreader events - like year-end functions, music events and the like - are the cause of the spread. 

The president says cases are rising because "we are social beings" and people have been interacting with others.

He says that countries across the world have had to take "drastic" measures to curb the rising cases. 

Ramaphosa says there is little to celebrate this festive season.

He cites the country breaking the one million case mark, saying that about 50 000 new cases have been recorded since Christmas. Worst-hit provinces are KZN, Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Gauteng.