Ramaphosa Extends Lockdown By Two Weeks Until End of April

Charles Molele

After a few days of speculation, President Cyril Ramaphosa has extended the national lockdown by another two weeks until the end of April in a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Ramaphosa said the decision to extend the lockdown was based on rigorous research and empirical evidence gathered on the ground by officials from the department of health and members of the National Coronavirus Command Council currently based at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in Pretoria.

Addressing the nation on Thursday evening, Ramaphosa said if the government ended the lockdown “too soon or too abruptly”, it risked a “massive and uncontrollable resurgence of the disease”.

“This evening, I stand before you to ask you to endure even longer,” said Ramaphosa.

“I have to ask you to make even greater sacrifices so that our country may survive this crisis and so that tens of