Cyril Ramaphosa to address SA about Covid-19 economic and social relief measures

President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation on Tuesday evening on additional economic and social relief measures that form part of the national response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This follows a Cabinet meeting held on Monday and deliberations with the national coronavirus command council, the president’s co-ordinating council, and the national economic development and labour council (Nedlac), among others, the presidency said.

A time for the address will be communicated later in the day.

SA is in the fourth week of a five-week national lockdown, which was imposed in a bid to curb the Covid-19 pandemic. The novel coronavirus has infected more than 3,000 people in SA and left nearly 60 dead. 

The virus has caused panic and fear across the globe and brought economies to a standstill. SA’s lockdown has compounded the country’s own economic and social problems.

A crucial cabinet meeting held last week to plan SA’s response to Covid-19 and the resulting economic crisis ended inconclusively, with no decisions taken and all proposals put off until later.

quintalg@businesslive.co.za