Ramaphosa speaking in a televised national address about the next steps for South Africa after its national lockdown. "By delaying the spread of the virus we have had time to prepare health facilities... there is clear evidence that the lockdown has been working."

But a nationwide lockdown "cannot be sustained indefinitely," Ramaphosa says. "We have accordingly decided that beyond Thursday 30 April we should begin a gradual and phased recovery of economic activity."

Ramaphosa announces his "risk-adjusted strategy". The action we take now must be measured and incremental given how little we still know about the virus, he says.

Ramaphosa: "We cannot take actions today that we will regret tomorrow" including an abrupt and rapid reopening that might only lead to another hard lockdown.

Ramaphosa announces five levels of lockdown phases of varying severity to guide South Africa's response (so level 5 is the most severe). You read this in the FT earlier. https://www.ft.com/content/3d7a9cc6-d4d3-4c20-b271-7bca58ebf6b3

There will be a national level of alert and regional levels, Ramaphosa says. The current hard national lockdown is level 5 (ie most severe), he notes.

National alert level will be lowered from level 5 to level 4 from Friday May 1st. "This means some activity will be allowed with extreme caution," Ramaphosa says.

When the country moves to level 4, South Africa's borders will also still be closed to international travel, and no travel between provinces, Ramaphosa says. Cloth masks to be worn by passengers on all public transport. All gatherings apart from funerals/work still prohibited.

Ramaphosa noting how two gatherings have turned into particular examples of infection hotspots: a funeral in the Eastern Cape and a Free State religious meeting. He adds that 75% of coronavirus cases are concentrated in six South African metropolitan areas.

"As we begin the easing of lockdown restrictions... we are calling on all South Africans to wear a face mask whenever you leave home," Ramaphosa says. The textile industry is being repurposed to make masks on a mass scale.

Mass testing and screening - already increasing at a rapid clip in South Africa - are "at the centre of the next phase of our response," Ramaphosa says.

As has been widely trailed... Ramaphosa confirms that nearly all (or over 70,000) of South Africa's national defence forces are being put on standby, to help with providing all kinds of essential services, such as water supply (so not just patrolling with police as currently).

...And Ramaphosa ends his national address with putting his own cloth mask on.

Just to recap on an important point - as well as the five national levels of alert in South Africa, there will also be regional levels of alert that could well differ (for example where there are local hotspots).