​Thembisa Shologu
The Gauteng Provincial Government has urged residents to continue adhering to non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), as the province persist experiencing a greater surge in COVID-19 new infections than the rest of the country.
The recent surge in new infections is due to the increasing number of social gatherings where people are not observing essential non-pharmaceutical interventions
"Gatherings are the greatest sources of transmission, whether it is weddings, funerals, social parties, religious services, political meetings or simply gatherings of family and friends. 
"The best way to reduce community transmission of the coronavirus is adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions. ​
"Let us continue wearing a mask, keeping a safe physical distance and washing hands regularly or using an alcohol-based sanitiser," said Premier David Makhura. 
The country has now moved to adjusted alert level 2 of the national lockdown as announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday, 30 May 2021.  In this regard, all gatherings are now limited to a maximum of 100 people indoors and 250 people outdoors.
"Where the venue is too small to accommodate these numbers with appropriate social distancing, then no more than 50% of the capacity of the venue may be used.
"This includes religious services, political events and social gatherings, as well as restaurants, bars, taverns and similar places. It remains mandatory for every person to wear a face mask that covers their nose and mouth at all times when in public spaces. It is a criminal offence not to do so," said President Ramaphosa.
In addition, the Gauteng government has increased the number of vaccination sites to 103, with 63 public and 40 private sector sites spread across all five regions of the province.
"This means more people will now have access to the vaccination site. In this phase, persons 60 years and older are being prioritised for vaccination as they are more vulnerable to serious illness, hospitalisation and death in the event they contract COVID-19.
"The COVID-19 vaccine provides the best chance of reducing the risk of new infections, severe illness, hospitalisation and death in the event you contract COVID-19," said Premier Makhura.