South Africa as a whole now meets the requirements for a second wave, according to the South African COVID-19 Modeling Consortium (SACMC) assessment. Today, 6,710 new cases have been registered, reflecting an 18 per cent positive test rate.
A second wave is a new wave lasting one or more days, commencing after the “end of the first”. It furthermore refers to an occurrence, after the previous peak, where the caseload returns to at least 30% of the previous peak’s caseload.
Knowing that most people are tired of COVID-19 and its preventive measures, we urge South Africans not to become complacent and let their guard down by failing to follow the requisite preventive measures properly.
Prof Adrian Puren, Acting Executive Director of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said, “as we head into the holiday season, everyone has a part to play. It’s in our hands. We urge the public to avoid mass meetings or events where there is no or limited physical distancing or ventilation. We urge you keep physical distancing, use face masks in public, and regularly sanitize or wash hands”.
The public is encouraged to please contact the nearest medical practitioner immediately if COVID-19 symptoms are suspected.
The 72 hours window to surrender given by the Ethiopian federal government to the regional Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) has expired.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in a statement released 26th November directed the federal forces to carry out a third and final onslaught as they uphold the rule of law in Ethiopia.
Apache Attack Helicopter
The Prime minister in his statement assured all civilians that great care will be taken to protect them from any harm as the federal forces marches into the Tigrayan capital city of Mekelle.
He also said that “all precautions will be taken to ensure that heritage sites, places of worship, public facilities, development institutions and residential areas will not be targets”.
Holy Trinity Cathedral, Addis Ababa
The Prime minister urged the people of Mekelle and its environ to disarm and stay indoors while avoiding military targets. He also requested patriotic elements in the region to expose the ring leaders of the TPLF by handing them over to law enforcement.
According to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the Ethiopian federal forces have devised a strategy to bring the ring leaders of the TPLF to justice without compromising places of worship, heritage sites, development institutions, public and private properties.
The EU: Africa online hackathon is seeking innovative solutions to socio-economic problems in Africa that have been amplified by the COVID-19 crisis. Estonia and the African Union, in cooperation with Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg and Poland, with the implementing partners Garage48 and Smart Africa are organising an online cross-continental hackathon “EU-Africa The Post Crisis Journey” from the 10th to the 13th of December 2020. Registration of mentors and participants ongoing at http://www.euafricathejourney.com
What is the EU-Africa Online Hackathon Program about?
It is an African-European online hackathon program aimed at finding innovative solutions to socio-economic problems that have been further escalated by the outburst of the COVID-19 pandemic. We aim to engage in 10,000 passionate tech-savvy and socially conscious problem solvers, 300 mentors, and 500 community organizations across Africa and Europe. Winning teams will get their hands on a 100,000 Euros prize fund , develop their prototypes further in the follow-up program of the hackathon, and implement their world-changing ideas in real life.
How does it benefit Africans Post Covid-19?
The post-Covid-19 era offers Africa an important opportunity to revitalize its economy under a green and smart framework that supports sustainable technologies. More importantly, it provides a platform for young Africans to put their creativity, innovation, and ingenuity to work in creating solutions that will help Africa recover better and faster.
Where are the targeted impact areas on the African continent?
Education
Food Security
Health and Wellness
Governance
Economy and entrepreneurship
Smart Cities in Africa
Cyber Security and Data Protection
Big Data
Banking and Financial Services
Job Security
When is it commencing, Criteria for eligibility and how to join the program?
The Call for Applications is open and two online matchmaking sessions will be held on 28th November and 5th December to combine the best teams for ideas before the main online hackathon which will run from 10-13th December 2020.
Yusuf Mutamba is the African Project Coordinator charged with participants outreach, creating awareness and enabling credibility for the program in Africa.
