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The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has published the latest amendments to the Disaster Management Act, giving effect to the move to closure level 3 announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday evening .
The gazette officially moves the country to an adjusted lockdown level 3 and makes changes to the current rules and regulations to protect the country from a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
It also marks the third set of regulations associated with this particular level of lockdown.
Ramaphosa said the measure aims to further limit super spreader events and will adjust previous Tier 3 regulations to keep the economy as open as possible.
It will also allow the government to focus on social distancing measures and aims to ease pressure on hospitals and healthcare workers.
The change follows meetings held by the president and his cabinet as part of the National Coronavirus Command Council on Sunday, and comes as the country surpasses one million accumulated Covid-19 infections and records daily increases.
On December 28, 7,458 new cases were registered, bringing the accumulated total since the beginning of the pandemic to 1,011,871. The country has reported 27,071 deaths from the virus, according to the latest data from the Health Department.
“We have let down our guard and sadly now we are paying the price,” Ramaphosa said. “We can only weather this storm if we immediately and fundamentally change our way of thinking.”
Curfew
Under lockdown level 3, each person will be confined to their place of residence from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., and will not be allowed to leave unless an exemption is granted by a relevant cabinet minister through a regulation (essential services), or you need to see a doctor. emergency.
Companies must close their doors at 8:00 p.m. This includes:
- Cinemas;
- Theaters;
- Casinos;
- Museums, galleries and archives;
- Gyms and fitness centers;
- Restaurants;
- Venues that host auctions; and
- Venues that host professional sports.
The use of masks
The use of masks is now mandatory for all people in a public place.
Anyone who fails to comply with a verbal instruction from a police officer to use one is committing a crime and may face prosecution.
This could result in a fine or imprisonment not to exceed six months, or both.
You will not be allowed to use public transportation or enter any public building without a mask. Employers cannot allow their employees to work without a mask.
The only exception in the bulletin is that a mask is not required when doing “vigorous exercise”; however, it is the minister of health who must determine what constitutes this type of exercise.
Companies and places
Businesses and venues have to determine the surface area at their facilities and use this information to determine the exact number of customers and employees allowed at any given time.
Social distancing measures must be applied at all times and disinfectants must be available for use.
Failure to comply with these regulations is a crime and can result in a fine or imprisonment, or both.
The following are closed to the public:
- Night clubs;
- Swimming pools (except for professional training);
- Bars, taverns and shebeens;
- Public parks, including facilities there, where there is no access control;
- Beaches, parks and dams in areas of interest.
Funeral
Attendance at funerals is limited to a maximum of 50 people and the duration is limited to 2 hours.
Evening vigils are not allowed and post-funeral gatherings are prohibited.
At funerals, attendees must wear a mask and the capacity of the venue cannot exceed 50%.
Meetings
All meetings, including faith-based meetings, are prohibited for 14 days. This includes political and traditional council events.
Meetings for work purposes are allowed, but must follow strict social distancing measures.
- Cinemas, theaters, casinos, museums, libraries, sports fields, restaurants, and auctions may continue to operate, but are limited to 50 people or fewer indoors and 100 people or less outdoors, and are subject to the same strict distancing measures. Social.
At no time can the number of people exceed 50% of the capacity of a place, if it is too small to accommodate 50 people.
- Hotels, hostels, bed and breakfasts, and resorts can take advantage of the full capacity of rooms available for accommodation, with social distancing measures in place.
However, the dining and entertainment facilities at these venues should follow the same guidelines as above.
- Supermarkets, stores, shops and pharmacies are limited to only 50% of the area.
sports
Sporting events, both professional and non-professional, are allowed but must follow new regulations including:
- Spectators are not allowed to attend matches;
- Only the required number of players, match officials and support personnel are allowed;
- Journalists, television crews, security personnel, emergency services, and site employees can enter the site;
- International events can only be held with teams from low or medium risk countries;
- Any other instruction issued by the minister of sport or health.
Trip
Travel is still allowed. It is up to the ministers of transport and health to determine the specific directions for this sector.
However, the regulations specify that these departments must prepare for the return of South Africans to work and must design plans for domestic air travel and other public transport systems.
Some details for public transportation include:
- Bus and taxi services cannot carry more than 70% of the capacity for long-distance trips (> 200 km) and can carry 100% of the capacity for any other trip.
- Drivers may not allow any passenger to ride without a mask.
Alcohol
The sale of alcohol is prohibited, both for external consumption and on-site.
The consumption of alcohol in public spaces is prohibited and the tasting of wines or the sale of liquor to the public in any form is not allowed.
The transportation of liquor is also prohibited, except for use in the manufacture of hand sanitizers and household cleaning products, for export purposes or for storage.
Read: Ramaphosa pushes South Africa back to lockdown level 3 – alcohol sales banned again
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