Lockdown puts Ramaphosa on back foot

Bloomberg

After initially being lauded for his decisive response to the coronavirus crisis, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has been forced onto the defensive over his administration’s handling of one of the world’s most severe lockdowns.
Some of the most stinging criticism came from Glenda Gray, a member of a panel that’s advising the government on the pandemic, who said plans for a phased exit from the lockdown were nonsensical. Limits on when people may exercise, bans on sales of summer clothing, and continued school closures also weren’t based on scientific evidence, Gray, the chairwoman of the South African Medical Research Council, said in an interview with News24.
Several other top scientists, along with business and civil-rights groups, have also questioned the rationality of some of the rules. The main opposition Democratic Alliance has filed a lawsuit aimed at having legislation that underpins them declared unconstitutional.
“We will continue to welcome different, even dissenting, viewpoints around our national coronavirus response. All viewpoints aid us and help us to work better and smarter,” Ramaphosa said on Monday in his weekly newsletter. “We have consistently maintained that we rely on scientific, economic and empirical data when it comes to making decisions and formulating regulations.” As we navigate these turbulent waters, our Constitution is our most important guide and our most valued protection.
“Our robust democracy provides the strength and the resilience we need to overcome this deep crisis.”
The lockdown was initially imposed on March 27, just three weeks after the first case was detected in the country, with only grocers and providers of medical and other essential services allowed to operate. The rules were relaxed on May 1, enabling more industries to restart and the government has said there will be further easing by the end of the month. Meanwhile, job losses are mounting and millions of people are dependent on welfare grants, food parcels and unemployment insurance payouts.