South Africa moves to an "advanced" alert level three lockdown: accommodation establishments allowed to reopen!

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced in a national address on 17 June 2020 that the country will move to an "advanced" alert level three lockdown, with a number of business sectors reopened to the public. Following discussions with industry representatives and after advice from scientists and consultation with the Cabinet, South Africa's Government has decided to ease restrictions on certain other economic activities.

These activities include:

• Restaurants for "sit-down" meals
• Accredited and licensed accommodation, with the exception of home sharing accommodation like AirBnB.
• Conferences and meetings for business purposes and in line with restrictions on public gatherings.
• Cinemas and theatres, to be aligned to limitations on the gathering of people.
• Casinos.
• Personal care services, including hairdressers and beauty services
• Non-contact sports such as golf, tennis, cricket and others. Contact sports will be allowed only for training and modified activities with restricted use of facilities.

According to President Cyril Ramaphosa, in each instance, specific and stringent safety requirements have been agreed to by the various representatives of these industries. These will need to be put in place before a business can reopen, and protocols will need to be strictly adhered to for businesses to remain open.
Further details on opening dates and the guidelines that must be followed will be made public in due course. We'll keep you posted!

South Africa remains at lockdown level 3, but additional sectors of our economy will now be allowed to reopen – as long as strict measures are in place to ensure physical distancing & personal hygiene. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/lyNAqCUOdv

— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) June 17, 2020