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The Western Cape government says it has received several complaints from business executives and immigration lawyers about South Africa’s Level 1 travel regulations.
Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunity David Maynier said the complaints mainly concern business travelers who have been unable to access the country due to a lack of response from the Interior Department.
According to regulations, business travelers must apply to the department for permission to travel for business from high-risk countries to South Africa.
Maynier said that some of these requests have not been answered since the reopening of international travel on October 1, 2020.
“I have written to the Home Secretary, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, to request his urgent intervention to ensure that adequate resources are allocated for business travelers from high-risk countries seeking permission to travel to South Africa in the ‘[email protected]receive a response within at least 24 hours, “he said.
“An easier solution, according to my recent presentation to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosozana Dlamini-Zuma, would be to simply discard the risk-based approach to international travel and the ‘red list’ of countries that are not it allows them to travel to South Africa, ”he said.
Instead, Maynier proposes that all travelers should be required to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test result that does not exceed 72 hours from the time of departure, supplemented by a rigorous examination on arrival and testing. antigens at the airport in case they fail the Protocols exam.
At a time when economic recovery is critical and when there is clear demand from business travelers to visit South Africa and stimulate the economy, it is unacceptable that we are implementing measures that do not work and unnecessarily block investment, he said.
“Our proposed alternative to the risk-based approach to international travel would eliminate the unfair and unnecessary bureaucracy that currently exists to prevent business travelers from visiting South Africa, while allowing leisure tourists to return unhindered, bringing investment we need to rebuild our economy after the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa, ”he said.
Letter to Dlamini-Zuma
in a lyrics To the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, last week, Maynier said that the risk-based approach regulating international travel published by the national government last week has created unnecessary confusion and uncertainty in the industry. travel and tourism.
Current restrictions allow business travelers from high-risk countries to enter South Africa with a negative PCR test, but not leisure travelers. Maynier said this is nonsense and unfair.
“There is simply no increased risk of Covid-19 virus transmission based on the purpose of travel, yet the negative impact of continuing to limit the entry of leisure travelers to South Africa, especially from our key source markets, is severe and extreme. ,” he said.
“International markets are a key economic engine for the tourism sector in the Western Cape, so the total reopening of our borders to leisure travelers, with strict health protocols before the summer season, is absolutely essential to the immediate recovery of the sector. -long-term stability and long-term survival “.
In his presentation, Maynier proposes:
- Eliminate the risk-based country categorization model;
- Require all travelers to present a PCR test upon arrival, performed at least 72 hours prior to arrival;
- The result of the PCR test should not have to be signed by a doctor (in many countries, the tests are performed by a laboratory and the results are issued electronically);
- Require all travelers to download the Covid-19 alert app and complete the tourist locator form to ensure travel details are captured, including accommodation and length of stay;
- Control of all travelers upon arrival at the airport by Port Health officials;
- If a traveler shows any symptoms, they will be referred to an exclusive private testing center at the airport (these must be configured), which will be borne by the traveler. This will prevent the use of public transportation to reach the test facility and thus limit the possible spread of the virus;
- Any traveler who tests positive must be quarantined in a place of accommodation of their choice for 10 days and at their own expense;
- There is an urgent need to develop paperless processes for all visa applications and other home affairs formalities;
- Clear and easily accessible information needs to be provided on government web pages, which should be updated regularly;
- Travelers visiting South Africa on business should be able to extend their stay for leisure purposes.
Read: South Africa’s state of disaster will end this week, but another extension is looming
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