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By Marvin Charles 
1 hour ago
Cape Town: The government has published a revised list of high risk countries for international travel. The new list indicates a significant decrease in countries from where travelers cannot enter South African borders.
In a statement, the Department of Internal Affairs said: “We continue to remind ourselves that the Covid-19 pandemic is still with us and we must continue to take precautions. At its last meeting, the Cabinet instructed the Ministers of Health, Interior and Tourism to lead a review process of the list. The revision of the list of high-risk countries was done in such a way as to strike a balance between saving lives and protecting livelihoods. ”
The department said nothing had changed when it came to all travelers from the African continent.
“People from high risk countries who can visit South Africa fall into the following categories: business travelers, critical skills visa holders, investors, and people on international missions in sports, arts, culture and science.
“Furthermore, we recognize that there are a number of regular visitors from mainly European countries who have been used to long visits to our country during our summer season when it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere,” he said.
The new list now contains 22 countries instead of the 57 listed above. The announcement follows concerns from tourism lobbyists who have said the list could have a devastating impact on tourism revenue.
[MUST SEE] The revised list now has 22 countries classified as high risk. This is a significant decrease from the 57 previously announced countries. @IOL @CapeArgus pic.twitter.com/34CN4eidju
– Marvin Charles (@ MarvinCharles17) October 19, 2020
- Argentina
- Germany
- Peru
- Bangladesh
- India
- Philippines
- Belgium
- Indonesia
- Russia
- Brazil
- Iran
- Spain
- Canada
- Iraq
- United Kingdom
- Chile
- Italy
- United States
- Colombia
- Mexico
- France
- Netherlands
According to the regulations, business travelers must apply to the department for permission to travel from high-risk countries to South Africa.
Additionally, all travelers must present proof of a negative Covid-19 test result not exceeding 72 hours from the time of departure, supplemented by a screening test on arrival and an antigen test at the airport, in case the detection protocols do not pass.
More recently, several business executives and immigration attorneys have sent emails to the Department of Internal Affairs requesting permission to travel for business to high-risk countries and vice versa. There have been no responses since the reopening of international travel on October 1.
The department said that within the first two weeks the [email protected] The email address was up and running, 4,701 applications were received, mostly from investors in agriculture, manufacturing, mining and tourism.
Of these requests, 3,113 have been approved.
Cape argus
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