President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on Thursday evening (30 September) to announce that South Africa will move into an adjusted level 1 lockdown starting on Friday (1 October), which means that a number of lockdown restrictions will be relaxed.
In his address, Ramaphosa said that the country had now officially exited the third wave of Covid-19 infections. He also said that South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown might finally come to an end entirely once 70% of the public has been vaccinated.
“If we see the rate of infections low and vaccinate significant numbers of people, we will keep this pandemic at bay, and ultimately fore it into decline,” he said. “If the majority of our population is vaccinated, we can declare South Africa to be a safe destination for tourists and encourage people to return to normal. We follow science. Our scientists continue to advise us on all these matters. Vaccination is our best defence.”
The following restrictions will be eased in lockdown level 1:
- The hours of the curfew will now run from 00h00 – 04h00;
- Non-essential establishments will need to close by 23h00 to allow employees and patrons to return home before curfew;
- The number of people permitted to attend indoor gatherings will increase to 750 people, while up to 2,000 people may attend outdoor gatherings;
- 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.
- The sale of alcohol will be permitted according to the normal licensing provisions, but no alcohol may be sold over 23h00;
- The wearing of masks in public places remains mandatory.
There could also be a further relaxation of restrictions surrounding sporting and cultural events, with an announcement to be made at a later date.
The president also said that the government will be introducing vaccination certificates to show that a local resident has been vaccinated and that this certificate will be used to allow South Africans to attent certain events.
“It can be used to facilitate travel, access to establishments and gatherings and other forms of activity that require proof of vaccination status. Our approach is informed by World Health Organisation guidelines and is in line with international best practices. Streamlining and standardising proof of vaccination will also go a long way towards getting a number of international travel restrictions both from and into our country eased.”
Sources: BusinessTech, MSN
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