We did not "loosen" the lockdown in South Africa yesterday. We tightened it and made it smarter, as we continue to do every day. Here's how. 1/7

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As many as 70% of households in townships, informal settlements and rural areas rely on informal food supply chains. The disruption of these systems would have created a disaster for those who live far from formal retailers. 2/7

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Hundreds of thousands of people would be forced to use public transport and crowd retailers and malls because there was no food available within walking distance. This crowding represents a higher risk of transmission than dispersed traders. 3/7

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The cost of food from retailers, especially for basic goods, is higher than at informal traders (who sell lower-quality products and smaller quantities which are affordable to the poor). 4/7

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Only food traders are allowed (not all informal traders), and only those with a municipal permit, so that they can be monitored to ensure that simply hygiene measures are in place. 5/7

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Ultimately, maintaining food supply across the country is essential to the enforcement of the lockdown. If people are not able to easily access affordable food, it will not be possible to enforce lockdown measures. 6/7

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To make this work, we need to be as sensitive to evidence on our economic and social policies as we are on our public health response. That's what we are doing, and will continue to do. 7/7

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