South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has said the country will immediately return to a ban on the sale of alcohol to reduce the volume of trauma patients so hospitals have more beds to treat Covid-19 patients.

Confronted by surging patient numbers due to coronavirus, South Africa is considering a return to tighter restrictions to combat the disease, which officials say may soon overwhelm the country’s health system.

The coronavirus pandemic in Africa is reaching “full speed” and it is good to prepare for the worst-case scenario, the Africa Centres for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention has said.