South Africa to allow restaurants and hairdressers to reopen

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced further easing of coronavirus restrictions.

Restaurants will be allowed to serve sit-down meals to a few people. Hair salons, casinos and cinemas will be allowed to open.

Commercially-licenced accommodation facilities will also reopen as well as conferences for work purposes.

Non-contact sports like golf and tennis will be allowed to resume.

The president, in a televised address, said the date when the eased restrictions take effect will be announced later.

He said the decision was intended to save livelihoods of more than 500,000 employees while being cautious not to spread coronavirus.

South Africans commenting online were concerned that the president did not speak on the ban on the sale of tobacco and cigarettes.

South Africa has so far recorded 80,412 cases of the virus and 1,674 deaths.