South Africa closes bars again, requires masks to contain coronavirus

The president of South Africa , Cyril Ramaphosa , announced on Monday (28) the imposition of new measures to contain the coronavirus (Sars-CoV-2) such as the closing of bars and the ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages. The measures take effect from midnight on Tuesday (local time).

The concern of South African authorities is with a new variant of the virus that causes Covid-19 in the country . Despite the caution, there is no evidence yet that this mutation will harm vaccines already discovered against the disease (read more at the end of the article) .

"The inconsequential behavior of people due to alcohol intoxication contributes to the greatest transmission," said Ramaphosa. "Alcohol-related accidents and violence have put pressure on the emergencies of our hospitals," he added.

Other measures taken by the South African government include:

Closing swimming pools and beaches in cities with high transmission

Curfew extension - now from 9 pm to 6 am

Mandatory use of a mask in public places, under penalty of fine or imprisonment for those who break the rule

New variant of coronavirus

The new coronavirus variant detected in South Africa appears to be transmitted more quickly than the older strains, say the researchers who identified it in South Africa according to an RFI report.

This does not mean, however, that the strain is more lethal or leads to more serious forms of Covid-19. There is also no evidence that this variant interferes with vaccine effectiveness. Even so, it is important to reduce the transmission of the virus to prevent a version of Sars-CoV-2 from finally appearing that can circumvent the already developed immunizers.

United Kingdom blocks flights from South Africa due to new variant of coronavirus

South Africa's health minister denied that there is evidence that the new variant is more contagious than the discovery in the United Kingdom - a strain that has also worried authorities in Europe and the world, including travel restrictions.

"Currently, there is no evidence that 501.V2 is more contagious than the United Kingdom variant, as suggested by the British Minister of Health," said Zwelini Mkhize in a statement.

"There is also no evidence that it causes a more severe form of the disease or increases mortality compared to the UK variant or any of the mutations identified worldwide," he added.

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