PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS SUMMARY – CORONA VIRUS – 23 MARCH 2020
- Individual behavioural changes and hygiene will ensure transmission is reduced. MUST adhere to strict regulations.
- Globally over 340,000 confirmed cases – SA has 402 confirmed cases but this number will rise.
- Focus – contain the spread as our health services will be constrained if we don’t – flattening the curve.
- Analysis of the epidemic – need to drastically escalate SA response measures.
- Nationwide lockdown in effect for 21 days from midnight on 26 March 2020 to 16 April 2020 under Disaster Man
- Exempted – health workers, EMS, security services – police, military, traffic police, food & basic goods distribution/ supply/ production, banking services, laboratory services, medical and hygiene product provision, power and water and telecom services.
- Can only leave home under strict circumstances – medical, food purchase, grant collections
- Shelter and Quarantine sites being identified
- All shops to be closed except food and medical supply shops, petrol stations, banks, JSE – list to be made available soon
- Essential transport services to be identified
*SANDF to be deployed to assist SAPS to ensure measures are implemented
- Public health management programme to be introduced to increase screening, tracing and testing.
- System to be implemented for centralised patient management for severe cases & decentralised primary care for mild cases
- Focus on high density areas
- Emergency water provision for informal settlements and rural areas
- Citizens arriving from high risk countries – mandatory isolation for 14 days. Non citizens arriving now will be turned back. Lanseria Airport – international flights temporarily suspended. International travellers from high risk countries arriving after 9 March will be confined to their hotels for 14 days.
- Economic impact mitigation measures:
- Solidarity fund people can contribute to, to raise money to combat the virus – www.solidarityfund.co.za – seed money = R150million from Government
- R1billion contributions each from the Rupert and Oppenheimer families for small business relief
- Regulations prohibiting unjust price hikes, ensure continuous stock availability and to prevent panic buying
- Informal sector – details to be announced (in progress)
- Old age pensions and disability grants avail from 30 March. Other grants from 1 April.
- ATM’s, cash points and post office paypoints available
- Special dispensation proposal for companies in financial stress – employees will get salaries via temporary employee relief scheme called TERS
- Employees falling ill at workplace – covered under the Compensation Fund
- Commercial banks exempted from provisions of the Competition Act to allow for development of common approaches to debt relief – most banks to put in measures in the next few days
- If required UIF funds to be used for SMME’s and vulnerable firms employees
- Tax subsidy of up to R500 per month for the next 4 months to private sector employees earning up to R6,500 (this will help over 4 million people)
- SARS will accelerate employment tax reimbursement incentives from twice a year to monthly for compliant businesses
- Tax compliant businesses with turnover of less than R50 million per year can delay 20% of their PAYE liabilities over the next 4 months and a portion of their provisional corporate income tax with no penalties or interest over next 6 months (assist over 75,000 small and medium businesses)
- R500 million available immediately for SMME’S in distress
- R3 billion available via DTI to industry to fight the virus and address vulnerable businesses
- Tourism made R200 million available to assist tourism SMME’s in distress due to travel restrictions
- Reserve bank cut the repo rate by 100 basis points last week.
*Any corruption or profiteering attempts – dealt with by special units in the NPA. Judiciary will expedite these cases.
