 South Africa will begin tightening COVID-19 restrictions for 14 days as current containment measures are insufficient to cope with the speed and scale of new infections. South Africa, the worst hit on the African continent in terms of recorded cases and death, is in the grip of a third wave of infections. 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 variants seem to be spreading fast. I did that to ensure that our responses are appropriate and proportionate. In other words, equal to the current situation, additional restrictions are necessary. And we are therefore announcing this evening that we will place these additional restrictions in place for the next 14 days. A curfew will be in place from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. and all non-essential establishments will need to close by 8 p.m. The sale of alcohol both for on-site and off-site consumption is prohibited.