SOUTH AFRICA: Reluctant return to lockdown as Covid-19 infections surge

On 28 December, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a return from ‘Level 1’ to ‘Level 3’ lockdown restrictions, which will apply until 15 January. While the government has been extremely reluctant to return to tighter measures in the face of extreme economic and fiscal travails, the latest pandemic trends have left the Ramaphosa administration with little choice. Yet the fresh Level 3 measures are likely late and still relatively light compared to the economy-wide Level 5 shutdown of Q2 this year. On Sunday, 27 December South Africa surpassed the one-million mark of cumulati