South Africa's Covid-19 spike has taken the country to more than 1 million confirmed cases on Sunday and President Cyril Ramaphosa called an emergency meeting of the National Coronavirus Command Council.
The country's new variant of the coronavirus, 501.V2, is more contagious and has quickly become dominant in many areas of the resurgence, according to experts.
With South Africa's hospitals reaching capacity and no sign of the new surge reaching a peak, Ramaphosa is expected to announce a return to restrictive measures designed to slow the spread of the disease.
![Cyril Ramaphosa, President to South Africa, has called an emergency meeting of the National Coronavirus Command Council. Photo / via AP](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/RMPCMSETLKZFSK34SNIPCCILWY.jpg?auth=4839aa9bfabcb7345c5fbf530b47e19d6ff9c3c1372b2aa978ccca04fb7ca028&width=16&height=10&quality=70&smart=true)
"We are not helpless in the face of this variant," infectious disease specialist Dr Richard Lessells told the Associated Press. "We can change our behaviour to give the virus less opportunities to spread." He said it's most important to avoid contact with others in indoor, enclosed spaces.