Statistician General Risenga Maluleke has suspended all fieldwork activities of the Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) with immediate effect until 31 March.
The announcement comes amid the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.
“COVID-19 has hit our shores, and the disease is spreading rapidly,” said Maluleke.
Government has already declared the virus a national disaster, and has put a number of measures in place to try to slow the transmission of the disease.
“Stats SA’s primary concern is the safety of its staff and respondents. In line with the recommendations from the Steering Committee set up to deal with issues concerning COVID-19 in Stats SA, the Statistician General has suspended all fieldwork activities with immediate effect until 31 March 2020,” he said.
The committee will continue to look at the prevailing environment to inform its decisions, he said.
Stats SA thanked its field staff who went out on a daily basis under very challenging circumstances.
He also thanks the organisation’s respondents for continuing to supply Stats SA with their information, which is the lifeblood of this organisation, to provide statistics for South Africa to make informed decisions.
“These are extraordinary times that we are living in, and they demand extraordinary responses. Let this be the year of unity and nation building. Together, we can beat this virus.”