In an address broadcast live on television, Ramaphosa said from midnight on Thursday until April 16, all South Africans would be compelled to stay at home, save for essential services such as health workers in the public and private sectors, emergency personnel, those in security services – such as the police, traffic officers, military medical personnel and soldiers.

Speaking after South Africa announced a spike to 402 in confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, Ramaphosa said he had directed the army to be deployed to support police in enforcing compliance with the ban on people leaving their homes except "under strictly controlled circumstances, such as to seek medical care, buy food, medicine and other supplies or collect a social grant".  

In a move he acknowledged would hurt the already frail economy, Ramaphosa said all shops and businesses would be closed, except for pharmacies, laboratories, banks, essential financial and payment services, including the JSE stock exchange, supermarkets, petrol stations and health care providers.

Commenting after Ramaphosa's speech, DA leader John Steenhuisen said the measures announced were of critical importance in efforts to combat the spread of Covid-19, which has wreaked havoc in many countries around the world after first emerging in China in December.

"Locking down our country and deploying the SANDF (South African National Defence Force) is something no South African would ever want to see in peacetime, but given the severity of our challenge it is absolutely the right thing to do," he said in a statement.

"The threat of this virus is akin to a wartime situation, and this requires of each of us to make sacrifices in our daily lives, and to some of the liberties of our democratic society."

Three weeks of drastic measures now could save many lives and buy the country critical time for healthcare professionals to deal with the unfolding crisis, he said, warning: "If we don’t make this sacrifice now, we will pay a far greater price in the long run."

He reiterated the DA's support for government efforts against the pandemic and urged Ramaphosa to consider the opposition party's proposals for an economic recovery package to deal with the devastating effect of Covid-19 on households, businesses and jobs. 

"We have to put in place, right away, the measures to rebuild our economy and shield employers and employees from the worst damage," Steenhuisen added.

African News Agency