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Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma leads media briefing on regulations related to COVID-19 level 1 restrictions, September 18, 2020 Photo: Elmond Njiyane / GCIS
The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has defended the maintenance of the curfew at Level 1 of the closure, explaining that it aims to limit the time that young people spend drinking in restaurants and bars.
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma says that while the rate of Covid-19 infections has decreased, regulations are still necessary to prevent a resurgence of positive cases.
She spoke during a press conference on Friday afternoon to unravel the Level 1 lockdown regulations, which will take effect starting Monday, September 21.
Dlamini Zuma said it was necessary to maintain the curfew, which will apply from midnight to 4 a.m. M., Shortened from 10 p. M. A 4 a. M. At Level 2, to limit the time people spend in drinking establishments.
“We still have 2,000 or more boxes a day and we know that if people have been sitting in a tavern, or even a restaurant, you don’t want people to sit there for hours on end. People, when they start to drink, to get drunk, forget the mask, forget about social distancing. It becomes chaos, ”she said.
Dlamini Zuma said that it is often young people who drink until the early hours of the morning and go home with their family, they run the risk of transmitting Covid-19 to the elderly, who are more vulnerable.
“I think if we understand that we are not out of the woods, if we understand that the pandemic is still on, the storm is still on, we are far from the eye of the storm but the storm is still on, then it would be easier to understand that we cannot just open all night so that people can drink and sit together for hours on end, “said the minister.
Level 1 regulations, which were released on Friday, allow public gatherings to resume with a maximum of 250 people at indoor events and 500 people at outdoor events.
However, people must adhere to health guidelines and stay 1.5 meters apart in meetings both indoors and outdoors. Smaller places, where that distance cannot be maintained, can only be filled to a maximum capacity of 50%.
A similar rule applies to funerals: a maximum of 100 people, compared to 50 during Level 2, can attend a funeral, but small venues that cannot guarantee a distance of 1.5 meters between attendees must limit the attendance at 50% capacity.
The new regulations allow gatherings on sports fields, beaches, public parks, and museums. Spectators are still prohibited from participating in amateur and professional sporting events. Nightclubs and initiation practices are still prohibited.
Tier 1 allows international travel to resume from October 1, but Dlamini Zuma did not provide details on how exactly it would work, but instead reiterated President Cyril Ramaphosa’s comments when he announced the policy change this week.
He said other ministers will soon announce a list of high-risk countries from where travelers will not be allowed to come to South Africa.
Upon arrival, international travelers must submit a negative Covid-19 test performed within 72 hours prior to departure. Those who do not have such a test or show symptoms of coronavirus will need to self-quarantine, at their own cost.
It is unclear how the quarantine of travelers will work, whether they will be able to quarantine them at their chosen locations or at state-approved sites, and how they will be monitored.
Dlamini Zuma said that the ministers of basic and higher education will soon explain any changes in the regulations for the education system at Level 1.
“The reason we open is not because we are out of danger,” he emphasized.
“If you remember, we started to open the levels even as the numbers were increasing because we were forced by our unique situation where there is a lot of poverty, unemployment and hunger, so we had to start opening so that people can make a living while we try. and save lives.
“It is not because the coronavirus is over. It is not.” DM
