Covid-19: South Africa remains on Alert Level 1 with a few adjustments!

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in a national address on progress in the national effort to contain the Covid-19 pandemic on 30 March 2021 that South Africa will remain on Alert Level 1, with a few adjustments. According to the President, these adjustments are necessary due to specific circumstances of the Easter period, that will lead to increased travel as South African travel for holiday and religious purposes, as well as gatherings. The following regulations will be introduced:

• The sale of alcohol for off-site consumption will be prohibited this coming Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday (02 April 2021 - 05 April 2021).
• On-site sales at restaurants, shebeens and bars will be allowed, according to licensing conditions, up until 23:00.

Some of the measures to contain the spread of the corona virus that will remain unchanged are as follows:

• The curfew is maintained from midnight to 04:00.
• Public recreational spaces such as beaches, parks and dams will remain open.
• However, this will continue to be subject to strict health protocols, such as social distancing, mask-wearing.
• Funerals remain restricted to a maximum of 100 people and with a two-hour limit on services. Interprovincial travel will still be permitted.

All South Africans are urged to limit their travel as much as possible and to observe all the necessary health protocols if they cannot avoid travelling.

Covid-19: South Africa has moved to Lockdown Alert Level 1!

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in a national address on the national effort to contain the Covid-19 pandemic on 28 February 2021 that South Africa will move from Level 3 to Level 1 of the country's Risk Adjusted Strategy. The new alert level has come into effect on 28 February 2021. The country's Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has in the meantime published a new Government Gazette (Regulation Gazette No. 11246, Vol. 668, No. 44201, 28 February 2021) that confirms the move to lockdown level 1, and the changes to some restrictions.

• The hours of the curfew is now from 00:00 to 04:00.
• Gatherings are permitted, subject to limitations on size, adherence to social distancing and other health protocols.
• These include religious, social, political and cultural gatherings.
• The maximum number of people allowed at any gathering is 100 people indoors or 250 people outdoors.
• Where the venue is too small to accommodate these numbers with appropriate social distancing, then no more than 50% of the capacity of the venue may be used.
• Night vigils or other gatherings before or after funerals are still not permitted.
• Nightclubs will remain closed.
• The sale of alcohol is permitted, according to normal licence provisions. However, no alcohol may be sold during the hours of curfew.
• The wearing of masks in public places is still mandatory, and failure to wear a mask when required remains a criminal offence.
• The 33 land border posts that have been closed throughout this period will remain closed, while the other 20 will remain open.
• Only five airports will be open for international travel with standard infection control measures.
• These are OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg, Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town, King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban, Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP) in Nelspruit and Lanseria International Airport (HLA) in Johannesburg.
• The few remaining restrictions under Alert Level 1 are meant to maintain low levels of infections and, in particular, to prevent super-spreading events.

South Africa: Update on the current lockdown level 1 restrictions!

South Africa's Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has published a new Government Gazette (Vol. 666 No. 44009, 17 December 2020) which provides further clarity around South Africa's new lockdown rules for the festive season 2020/21 (also see Government Gazette Vol. 666 No. 43997, 15 December 2020).
Hotels, lodges, bed & breakfasts, timeshare facilites, resorts and guest houses are allowed full capacity of the available rooms for accommodation, with patrons observing a distance of at least one and a half metres from each other when in common spaces. Conferencing, dining, entertainment and bar facilities are subject to a limitation of a maximum of 100 persons or less in case of an indoor gathering and 250 persons or less in case of an outdoor gathering. Loud music, whether live or otherwise, is prohibited.

Registered wineries and wine farms are allowed to continue to operate in offering wine-tastings and selling of wine to the public for off-site consumption, subject to strict adherence to the curfew and adherence to social distancing measures and health protocols.
In hotspot areas (Sarah Baartman District, Garden Route District and Nelson Mandela Bay), the closing time for the following establishments, wether indoors or outdoors, is 21:00 daily:

• Faith-based institutions
• Venues where social events are hosted
• Venues hosting concerts and five performances
• Cinemas
• Theatres
• Casinos
• Museums, galleries and archives
• Gyms, fitness centres and swimming pools
• Restaurants, bars, taverns, shebeens and similar establishments
• Venues hosting sport, arts and culture activities
• Any other place where a gathering may take place

South Africa: Tougher Coronavirus COVID-19 Alert level 1 restrictions this festive season

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced tighter level 1 lockdown restrictions nationwide, with effect from midnight on 14 December 2020. This as South Africa enters the festive season amid a second wave of rising COVID-19 infections. These festive season restrictions will be reviewed in early January 2021 based on the state of the pandemic across the country. As of 14 December 2020, South Africa's cumulative number of cases of Covid-19 stands at 866,127, edging closer to the 900 000 mark. President Ramaphosa announced the following restrictions:

• Beaches and public parks in the Eastern Cape and in the Garden Route district in the Western Cape will be closed for the duration of the festive season from 16 December 2020 to 03 January 2021.
• In KwaZulu-Natal, beaches and public parks will be closed on 16, 25, 26 & 31 December 2020 and on 01 - 03 January 2021.
• The beaches and public parks of the Northern Cape and the Western Cape – with the exception of the Garden Route – will remain open to the public over the festive season.
• Festivals, live music, and live performances at beaches are prohibited countrywide.
• Beaches and parks that are open to the public will only be open between 09:00 and 18:00.
• Ramaphosa also said: "In instances, where there are large crowds or poor compliance with safety measures, specific beaches and recreational parks will be closed".

• The new curfew is starting countrywide at 23:00 and ending at 04:00.
• Hours of curfew will also apply to Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
• Non-essential establishments, including restaurants and bars, will have to close at 22:00 so that staff and patrons can get home before the enforcement of the curfew.

• The sale of alcohol from retail outlets will only be permitted between 10:00 and 18:00 from Monday to Thursday.
• Registered wineries and wine farms may continue to offer tastings and wine sales to the public for off-site consumption over weekends.
• Alcohol consumption in all public spaces, such as beaches and parks, is strictly forbidden.

• Gatherings – including religious gatherings – may not be attended by more than 100 people for indoor events and 250 for outdoor events.
• The total number of people in a venue may not exceed more than 50% of the capacity of the venue.
• Due to the potential for transmission, all post-funeral gatherings, including ‘after-tears’ parties, are prohibited.

• Under the tighter level 1 restrictions, drivers and operators of any form of public transport must ensure that all passengers wear a mask.
• Managers or owners of buildings, places or premises – including retail stores, shopping centres, and government buildings – are obliged by law to ensure that all customers who enter their facilities or buildings wear a mask.
• Responsible individuals who do not ensure compliance with the regulations by their passengers, customers or employees will be liable to a fine or to imprisonment of up to six months.

South Africa: Travellers from Africa & from countries with low COVID-19 rates will be allowed to enter South Africa from 01 October 2020! [update]

update (29 September 2020): South Africa's Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said at the World Tourism Day celebrations on 27 September 2020 that international tourists from low risk COVID-19 countries will not require a quarantine period, but only need to show a COVID-19 negative certificate on arrival.

update (28 September 2020): The Government of South Africa will adopt a risk-based system in selecting which countries will be allowed to travel into South Africa and which countries South African citizens will be allowed to fly to. It will use the same approach that was used before South Africa entered into a level 5 lockdown, with countries categorised as "high-risk" or "low-risk" for travel purposes. South Africa's Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane has revealed during an event to commemorate World Tourism Day (27 September 2020) that "most countries" will be allowed on the country's permitted travel list for Level 1.

update (26 September 2020): The Government of South Africa has not yet revealed its
list of countries allowed to travel to South Africa

update (23 September 2020): According to South Africa's Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, the list of countries allowed to travel to South Africa will be published later this week and will be based on science and research. South Africa's Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, said in an interwiew South Africa would be using World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines to determine which countries to allow in when international travel resumes. We'll keep you posted!

South Africa's Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, announced in a media briefing on Coronavirus COVID-19 level 1 lockdown regulations on 18 September 2020 that all travellers from the African Continent as well as travellers from countries outside the African Continent with a low COVID-19 infection and transmission rates will be allowed to enter South Africa from the 01 October 2020. These travellers need to present a valid certificate of a negative COVID-19 test obtained not more than 72 hours (3 days) before the date of travel when entering South Africa. International travel from countries with high COVID-19 infection and transmission rates will remain prohibited execpt for business travel which may be allowed with the approval South Africa's Department of Home Affairs. The list of permitted and prohibited countries will be based on the latest scientific data and updated accordingly. According to Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, the relevant South African ministers are in consultations regarding this list and are aiming to publish it before 01 October 2020.
The 18 land borders that were partially operational during the previous lockdown levels will be fully operational from 01 October 2020. The 35 land borders that were closed during the previous lockdown levels will remain closed. OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg, Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town and King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban are the only airports that will allow international air travel to arrive or depart.

 

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