JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Confronted with a rapid surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, South Africa has returned to tighter restrictions on public gatherings and liquor sales. In a nationally televised address, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the new infections threaten the health systems in several parts of the country. He said hospital admissions due to COVID-19 have increased by 59% over the past two weeks. According to Johns Hopkins University, South Africa’s 7-day rolling average of daily new cases has nearly doubled over the past two weeks from 6.69 new cases per 100,000 people on May 31 to 12.71 new cases per 100,000 people on June 14.
