South Africa will move from the Adjusted Alert Level 3 to an Adjusted Alert Level 2 with effect from Monday, September 13th, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Sunday.

In the new measures, the country's nighttime curfew will begin at 11:00 p.m. local time and end at 4:00 a.m.

Under the new eased restrictions, non-essential establishments like restaurants, bars and fitness centers will be required to close by 10:00 p.m.

Ramaphosa said the new measures were crafted after discussions at the National Coronavirus Command Council and with Premiers, mayors and traditional leaders in the President's Coordinating Council.

Public gatherings will be limited to a maximum of 500 people outdoors while indoor meetings will be held with no more than 50 percent of the venue's capacity.

"These measures will be reviewed in two weeks' time depending on the state of the pandemic," said President Ramaphosa.

He added that people are still required to wear face coverings in public spaces and maintain social distancing.

South Africa is the hardest-hit country by the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa, having reported 2,858,195 infections with 84,877 fatalities.

The figures account for 35.62 percent of the continent's caseload and 41.83 percent of its death toll.