This archive report was first published on 27 April 2020.
As of May 1st, 2020, South Africa will begin a phased easing of its lockdown, allowing for the gradual resumption of economic activity while maintaining measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.
According to President Cyril Ramaphosa, the National Coronavirus Command Council has decided to lower the lockdown restrictions from level 5 to level 4, effective next Friday.
However, the country's international borders will remain closed, with travel only permitted for essential services, and social distancing rules will continue to be enforced.
President Ramaphosa emphasized the need to balance economic activity with the imperative to contain the virus, stating, 'We cannot take action today that we will deeply regret tomorrow, we must avoid a rushed reopening that could risk a spread which would need to be followed by another hard lockdown.'
Moody's rating agency has projected that the South African economy will contract by 2.5% in 2020, primarily attributing the economic downturn to the nationwide shutdown.
Earlier, President Ramaphosa announced a $26 billion stimulus package, including 40 billion rands in unemployment benefits and 50 billion rands in social grants for the poor.
Other countries, such as Ghana, have already begun to lift restrictions, while European carmakers are preparing to reopen their manufacturing plants to stimulate economic recovery.
