KwaZulu-Natal recorded the most infections with 626, followed by the Western Cape with 389. A further 108 people have died.

Meanwhile, Premier Alan Winde says he will push for an end to the National State of Disaster during his engagement with President Cyril Ramaphosa today. This as the President’s Coordinating Council is due to meet. The meeting is usually a precursor to Ramaphosa announcing changes to the lockdown.

At the same time, President Ramaphosa says he’s due to speak to Prime Minister Boris Johnson after the UK imposed severe restrictions for travellers arriving from South Africa. The UK has placed South Africa on its coronavirus “red list”, forcing travellers into a pricey hotel quarantine on arrival. Before the pandemic, more than 400 000 visitors a year flocked to the country – more than any country outside of the continent. Ramaphosa, however, said South Africa is not vengeful over the blacklisting, which has dealt a crippling blow to tourism, a key sector which directly accounts for 3% of the nation’s economy.

Still with news about the virus: Preparations are in full swing for the countrywide vaccination weekend that will kick off tomorrow. The Vooma Vaccination Weekend has a target of vaccinating 30 000 people in Cape Town from Friday to Sunday.

Meanwhile, South African Tourism will this month launch 2 global campaigns, aimed at attracting overseas and regional tourists. The Global Advocacy and the Global Brand campaigns will be aimed at international travellers, encouraging them to, as the covid-19 pandemic starts to ease off, make the country their holiday destination of choice.