Government extends national state of disaster as it weighs up lockdown restrictions
Cabinet has approved the extension of South Africa’s national state of disaster by another month. This means that the state of disaster will now run until 15 October 2021.
South Africa declared a national state of disaster under Section 27(1) and Section 27(2) of the Disaster Management Act on 15 March 2020 in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, while it was originally set to lapse on 15 June 2020, the act provides that it can be extended by the Cogta minister by notice in the gazette for one month at a time before it lapses.
The government has relied on the national state of disaster to introduce and give effect to lockdown restrictions in an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19.
While it appears that South Africa has moved past the peak of the third wave, cabinet has raised concerns about the increasing infection reproduction rates.
Minister in the presidency, Mondli Gungubele said that the government was still considering several factors before lowering the lockdown restrictions for the country.
