(Fighting against New Coronary Pneumonia) South Africa epidemic "blockade order" downgraded about 8 million people to return to work

　　China News Agency, Johannesburg, June 1 (Reporter Wang Xi) South Africa's "blockade order" against the new coronary pneumonia epidemic has been further relaxed on the 1st, and it has been reduced to three levels.

The picture shows a traffic flow on a main street in Johannesburg, South Africa. China News Agency reporter Wang Xishe

　　Earlier, in order to recover the economy, South Africa had downgraded the "blockade order" from the most severe fifth level to the fourth level on May 1. This time, the South African government lowered the "blockade order" to the third level, aiming to further open the economy and relax restrictions on the movement of people.

　　Under the third-level "blockade order", the controversial "prohibition order" was lifted, and the "smoking ban" will continue, but alcohol products must be sold at a specific time, and people can only drink at home; Perform physical exercise within a specific time, and can perform outdoor activities throughout the day; most commercial institutions can resume work, and the wholesale and retail industry is also fully open, but each company must develop a work plan before resuming work; restaurants, bars, hotels, High-risk activities such as domestic aviation, beauty salons, and religion are still prohibited.

　　In the morning and peak hours of the day, some sections of National Highway 1 in Johannesburg were congested, which is in contrast to the sparse traffic during the "blockade order"; The number of people also increased significantly during the blockade period.

　　In this regard, South African President Ramaphosa admits that the time has come to open the economy, but the three-level "blockade order" does bring the risk of epidemic transmission. However, the South African government has taken a series of measures, such as gradually Lifting bans, maintaining social distance, and forcibly wearing masks are used to effectively reduce the infection rate. "The South African government's measures are completely guided by science," he said.

　　As of press time, there were 32,683 confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia in South Africa and 683 deaths. (Finish)