Lockdown for who? Expert says localised lockdown may not be best thing for SA

Is another lockdown on the cards as Covid-19 second wave washes over Western Cape asks John Maytham?

At last count there were 2 300 new coronavirus infections in South Africa, bringing the total number since the first recorded infection in March to more than 790 000.

A total of 21535 people have died from Covid-19 complications.

So with Covid-19 numbers continuing to rise in South Africa, is a localised lockdown an option which officials should be seriously considering?

CapeTalk's John Maytham posed the question to Wits professor of vaccinology Shabir Madhi:

A lockdown on its own is never going to get rid of the virus.

Shabir Madhi, Professor of Vaccinology - University of the Witwatersrand

The only reason for a lockdown is if it is projected that health services are going to be completely overwhelmed.

Shabir Madhi, Professor of Vaccinology - University of the Witwatersrand

Even then, says Madhi, the lockdown would only have the impact of buying time to spread out the number of hospitalisations.

RELATED: Another lockdown on the cards as Covid-19 second wave washes over Western Cape

4. We also cannot afford a Lockdown again, as is being witnessed in many European countries right now. Our economy simply cannot afford it. A lockdown would kill jobs and cause our humanitarian disaster to worsen. This will also cost lives in the future. pic.twitter.com/DG5GWkF0kP

— Premier Alan Winde (@alanwinde) November 25, 2020

Listen to the full conversation below:

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