Ramaphosa May Tighten Lockdown as South African Covid Cases Jump

(Bloomberg) --

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation Sunday to discuss his government’s response to rising coronavirus cases.

The president may announce tighter lockdown restrictions including increased limits on public gatherings and trade in alcohol, along with an earlier curfew, said two people familiar with the matter who declined to be identified because they’re not authorised to speak to the media. Ramaphosa may also announce tougher enforcement of mask-wearing in public, Johannesburg-based website News24 reported, without saying where it got the information from.

Ramaphosa will speak at 7 p.m. local time, his office said in a text message. The president’s speech comes after meetings of the National Coronavirus Command Council and the Cabinet, according to his office.

South African authorities have been warning about a third wave of infections as the nation reported a 33% jump in daily infections on May 26. The central bank said the virus “remains a near-term threat.”

The nation has 1.55 million coronavirus cases -- the most in Africa -- with 56,363 deaths, according to Health Department data.

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