Mkhize provides clarity on the level 3 lockdown game plan

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize caused confusion on Tuesday when he told the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) that hotspots would remain on level four lockdown.

CAPE TOWN - The health ministry has confirmed the whole of South Africa will be moving to level three of the coronavirus lockdown as of Monday.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize caused confusion on Tuesday when he told the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) that hotspots would remain on level four lockdown.

But Mkhize's team has sought to clarify this in a statement on Wednesday.

When the health minister briefed the NCOP on Tuesday, he included a slide that suggested hotspot areas would be kept on higher levels of lockdown than the rest of the country.

But the health department now said the slide Minister Mkhize presented was from an older presentation and that the whole country would be moving to level three lockdown as of Monday, as the president announced.

The statement again seeks to explain government’s risk adjusted framework.

It has, from the start, envisaged the ability to vary lockdown levels based on the spread of the disease, and the readiness of the healthcare system in a given area

They look at the proportion of active cases per 100,000 of the population, the number of available beds in the area in question, how quickly the infection rate is progressing and how steep the curve is.

Areas classified as hotspots will get extra attention and support as they try to bring the spread within acceptable parameters and their status will be reassessed every two weeks.

If they don't improve, further containment measures and restrictions can be considered and those could be implemented very rapidly to nip possible runaway clusters in the bud.