By Chris Bishop

The government will allow a number of industries employing half a million South Africans to open up from lockdown.

The government decided to ease restrictions on sit down restuarants,casinos air B and B and cinemas and theatres to be aligned on the limitations on gathering of people and hairdressers ; non contact sports including cricket and others.

“We have taken this decision with due care and seriousness,” says President Cyril Ramaphosa.

“So far COVID-19 has cost our nations the lives of 1674 people out of more than 80,000 people, says the president of South Africa.

A drug manufactured here and tested in the UN has found it has cut deaths by a third and helped the management of the disease.

“We have succeeded in slowing the rate of the spread of the virus,”says President Ramaphosa. “But the pandemic will remain with us for many more months: it is not a sprint, it is a marathon.”

“More than a third of all the cases have been recorded in the last two weeks alone.

The disease is getting closer and closer to us all.As the county opens up the risk of infection increases….Through our behaviour we can reduce the chance of getting infected.

Wearing a cloth mask reduces the chance of getting the virus…There are some South Africans who have not taken up the wearing of masks and we advise them to do so.”