South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday reimposed restrictions for two weeks to combat a surge in coronavirus cases.

The worst-hit country on the continent “is facing a massive resurgence of infection,” the president said in a televised address to the nation.

“Our health facilities are stretched to the limit… ICU beds are in short supply,” he said as he placed the country on alert level four, just one level below a full lockdown.

It recorded almost 18,000 new cases on Saturday, approaching the peak of daily infections seen in a second wave in January, and local scientists say the Delta coronavirus variant first identified in India seems to be spreading fast.

“Additional restrictions are necessary… Our focus is on limiting social contacts while preserving the economy,” Ramaphosa said in a televised address to the nation.

Under the measures announced, all gatherings will be prohibited, there will be a curfew from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. and the sale of alcohol will be banned.

Schools will start closing from Wednesday but beaches and parks will remain open. Restaurants will only be able to sell food for takeaway or delivery.

“We will assess the impact of these interventions after 14 days to determine whether they need to be maintained or adjusted,” Ramaphosa said.

South Africa recently received 1.4 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine via the COVAX Facility and an additional 1.2 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the president added.

So far the vaccine rollout in South Africa has been slow, with only around 2.7 million doses administered among a total population of 60 million.