It announces ban on alcohol and makes wearing mask mandatory in public. South Africa banned alcohol sales and made masks mandatory in public from Tuesday after a surge in coronavirus cases, as the World Health Organisation warned that pandemics far more deadly than COVID-19 may lie ahead. Mr. Ramaphosa said data showed “excessive alcohol consumption” leads to an increase in trauma cases reported at hospitals, causing an “unnecessary” strain on public health facilities. “This is a wakeup call,” WHO emergencies chief Michael Ryan told reporters at a briefing marking a year since the UN agency first learned of the new virus spreading in China. “We need to get ready for something that may even be more severe in the future.”The warnings were backed up by the worrying figures and trends reported worldwide.

Source: The Hindu December 29, 2020 16:36 UTC