South Africa Facing COVID-19 Surge, 15,000 New Cases and 122 Deaths in A Day

 PRETORIA, LELEMUKU.COM - South Africa is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 infections.  Health officials reported 15,000 new cases Sunday and 122 deaths.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said Sunday night the Delta variant of the coronavirus is the likely culprit behind the outbreak.   

New restrictions due to the explosion of cases include a ban on all public gatherings except funerals, which will be limited to 50 people.  Liquor sales will also be prohibited and an extended nightly curfew will go into effect.  

Gauteng province had 66% of the new infections, officials said.   Authorities fear the other provinces with soon experience the uptick in cases.   

“Let us call on every bit of strength we have, let us summon our reserves of courage, and hold firm until this wave, too, passes over us,” Ramaphosa said in a national broadcast Sunday.  

Several of Britain’s top defense personnel are in self-isolation after attending a meeting last week with General Nick Carter, the head of Britain’s armed forces, who has tested positive for COVID-19.  Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and the heads of the Royal Navy, RAF and Strategic Command are now in self-isolation after Carter’s positive test results.

Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center said early Monday the global count for COVID cases is more than 181 million.  The U.S. is the country with the highest number of cases at 33.6 million, followed by India with more than 30 million and Brazil with more than 18 million.  

Australia’s Sydney is currently under lockdown as it contends with a growing COVID outbreak, but two people who ignored the restriction to go sunbathing got more than they bargained for.  The nude pair, according to an Agence France-Presse report, were “startled” by a deer, leading the scofflaws to run into the bushland of the Royal National Park to escape the animal.  The men called authorities for help.  

Officials say one 30-year-old man was found on a walking track “naked and carrying a backpack.”  The other man, who was 49, was found later partially clothed.   

“By leaving home without a proper reason... and then getting lost in the national park and diverting important resources away from the health operation, I think they should be embarrassed," said New South Wales State Police Commissioner Mick Fuller.  "It's difficult to legislate against idiots."

The men were fined $760 for ignoring Sydney’s stay-at-home orders.   (VOA)