“I am breathing again,” sighs Kanto Razafimandimby, on her first night out since South Africa reopened its restaurants and casinos as part of a gradual loosening of lockdown, even as the number of coronaviruses continues to rise.
“It really feels like my freedom is back,” said the 27-year-old dining with three friends at Verdicchio Restaurant and Wine Cellar in northern Johannesburg suburb of Fourways.
Saturday marked the 100th day of lockdown for South Africa, which has imposed some of the strictest stay-at-home measures in the world since March 27 in a bid to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Nevertheless, the number of infections is rising daily by the thousands and the country now has the highest number of cases on the continent — 177,124, including 2,952 deaths.
