Health minister Zweli Mkhize has warned that tighter lockdowns may be needed in some parts of the country as a surge in Covid-19 cases is expected in the coming weeks.

In a series of tweets on Tuesday morning, the minister emphasised that no decision has yet been taken about localised lockdowns and that the National Coronavirus Command Council “does not take lightly a decision of that nature”.

However, he said there “may be a need in some areas for restrictions. It may not be national, but localised.”

Mkhize said the infection numbers are “picking up”, with a surge “on the way, particularly in Gauteng (where) the numbers are (growing) faster than anticipated”.

“One of the challenges with Gauteng is the fact that you have different metropolitan areas, which (make up) one ecosystem,” the minister said, without elaborating.

He said Gauteng is adding almost 3 000 Covid-19 cases a day.

‘Too many’

“The problem is too many people getting sick at the same time… During the month of July we are going to see larger numbers getting infected, going into August.”

He said the tight lockdown experienced previously was not sustainable. “We needed people to get back to their jobs and for the economy to be revived. We needed to do that under new circumstances where we use masks, social distance and sanitise our hands,” he said.