South Africa Clamps Down Against New COVID Wave
Voice of America
JOHANNESBURG - South Africa is fighting a strong “third wave” of coronavirus, leading President Cyril Ramaphosa to announce a raft of new restrictions to try to curb the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.
The president said on national television late Sunday that the Delta variant has now been detected in five of the nation’s nine provinces. “The rapid spread of this variant is extremely serious,” he said. “It is for this reason that I said I address you on a weighty matter tonight. Even if it is not more severe, the rate at which people are infected could lead to many more people becoming ill and requiring treatment at the same time. We therefore need to take extra precautions.” Those measures include a ban on all gatherings, the closure of schools, a ban on all alcohol sales and in-restaurant dining, a stronger curfew and tougher enforcement for lawbreakers.FILE - Afghanistan's Karim Sadiq dives to catch the ball while fielding during the Asia Cup one-day international cricket tournament against Pakistan in Fatullah, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Feb. 27, 2014. FILE - Afghan national cricket team coach, Taj Maluk, speaks to his team in Kabul, May 27, 2006. FILE - Gujarat Titans' Rashid Khan plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans in New Delhi, India, April 24, 2024. FILE - A sign advertises the Cricket World Cup matches in East Meadow, New York, May 8, 2024.
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China's Defense Minister Dong Jun speaks during the Shangri-La Dialogue summit at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, June 2, 2024. FILE - A Chinese coast guard ship, left, with a Chinese militia vessel, right, blocks Philippine coast guard ship, BRP Sindangan as it tried to head towards Second Thomas Shoal at the disputed South China Sea during rotation and resupply mission on Oct. 4, 2023.
Police officers stop and search people near Victoria Park, Hong Kong's traditional venue for the annual 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown vigil, in Hong Kong, June 4, 2024. People gather near a soccer field which in previous years had been used annually for vigils to mark the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, at Victoria Park, Hong Kong, June 4, 2024. This year, the venue was blocked off for a carnival by pro-government groups. (Cindy Sui/VOA) A carnival worker tells members of the public they cannot enter the restricted area until later in the day, at Victoria Park, Hong Kong, June 4, 2024. (Cindy Sui/VOA) A carnival worker guards the perimeter of a closed-off soccer field which traditionally had been used for Tiananmen Square crackdown commemorations, at Victoria Park, Hong Kong, June 4, 2024. (Cindy Sui/VOA)