Current measures were due to expire on January 15 and include the closure of beaches and public parks and a ban on the sale of alcohol.
“The pandemic in our country is now in its most devastating state. The number of new infections, the number of hospital admissions and the deaths that continue to occur are much greater than ever since the first case was registered in our country in March 2020, “said Ramaphosa in a national live speech.
In addition to extending existing measures, Ramaphosa announced that 20 land borders will be closed by February 15. The closings will have several exceptions, such as those traveling for medical emergencies, he said.
Ramaphosa said the speed and intensity of the second wave in South Africa is due to the 501.v2 variant discovered by genomic scientists late last year.
“We know that this new variant of the virus tends to spread much faster than the previous variant. This explains that many more people were infected in a much shorter time,” he said, adding that there was no evidence that the new strain made people sicker.
Ramaphosa said the restrictions will be reevaluated when the current spike in infections subsides.
South Africa has reported at least 1,246,643 cases of Covid-19, including 33,579 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.