With the Omicron variant now present in all provinces of South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa has raised the possibility that the country could enter the fourth wave soon if new cases continue to increase.

"The identification of Omicron coincides with a sudden increase in COVID-19 infections. If cases continue to rise, we can expect to see a fourth wave of infection in the next few weeks, if not sooner," Ramaphosa said in his televised speech on Sunday night.

Given that only 35 percent of the adult population has been fully vaccinated so far and there is still a lot of hesitation to vaccinate, Ramaphosa announced that a working group has been set up to discuss the possibility of making vaccines mandatory to access public places such as public transport, workplaces, public events and public facilities.