Cape Town - The chairperson of the portfolio committee on health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, says the implementation of the lockdown when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country last year was a necessary measure to contain the spread of the virus.
He told Parliament on Tuesday that a year later the country was still fighting the disease.
Dhlomo was making a statement in the House on the year after Covid-19.
“The hard lockdown imposed on March 26 last year was a painful moment for the country, but it had to be done to counter the spreading of the disease,” said Dhlomo.
“The ANC pays tribute to the more than 50 000 people who have lost their lives to this pandemic. The deadliest days so far came in January 2021, during the second wave of the infection,” said Dhlomo.
He said the committee also supported the government in rolling out the vaccine.
More than 100 000 health-care workers have been vaccinated since the roll-out began a few weeks ago.
The government wants to reach herd immunity by the end of the year.
Dhlomo said the health-care workers have been on the front line in the fight against the virus.
He said the health-care workers had risked their lives in the past year to protect those who had contracted the virus.
Political Bureau