South Africa set to ease lockdown
coronavirus in Europe
South Africa which had announced stringent lockdown measures on March 27 said it would ease it next month.
The country has over 4,000 coronavirus cases with 75 deaths reportedly the highest in Africa, however, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that easing of lockdown would enable people to "earn a living."
In an address to the nation, President Ramaphosa said: "We have accordingly decided that beyond Thursday the 30th of April, we should begin a gradual and phased recovery, adding,"we will implement what we call a risk-adjusted strategy through which we take a deliberate and cautious approach to the easing of current lockdown restrictions."
"While a nationwide lockdown is probably the most effective means to contain the spread of the virus, it cannot be sustained indefinitely," the South African president added.
"Our people need to eat, they need to earn a living. Companies need to produce and trade," Ramaphosa asserted.
Several thousand health workers have been deployed across the country in a bid to contain the virus with aggressive screening and testing.
Last week the country saw a sudden surge in cases with 318 new cases in one day and the death toll rising from 10 to 75. The sudden toll worried authorities.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has praised South Africa earlier for taking proactive measures to fight the virus with "primary prevention, lockdown, and enhanced surveillance".