On 25 May 2020, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that lockdown measures would be eased, despite warning that the country's coronavirus outbreak was set to worsen.
According to Ramaphosa, a third of the country's over 22,000 cases had been recorded in the last week.
He stated that the current lockdown could not be sustained indefinitely and that from 1 June, more restrictions would be lifted.
These eased restrictions include the removal of an overnight curfew, the reopening of more businesses, and the resumption of schools.
However, a ban on the sale of alcohol will remain in place, with limited sales allowed for home consumption only. The sale of cigarettes will continue to be prohibited.
President Ramaphosa has been under pressure to ease lockdown measures to restart the economy, but he warned the public that the worst of the outbreak was still ahead.
‘We should expect that these numbers will rise even further and even faster,’ he said. ‘The coronavirus pandemic in South Africa is going to get much worse before it gets better,’ he added.
