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South Africa will open its borders to all international travelers, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Wednesday, even as the number of new coronavirus cases rises in parts of the country, leaving some officials concerned that a reduction in travel restrictions It could invite a second wave.
“We are also opening international travel to all countries subject to the necessary health protocols and the presentation of a negative Covid-19 certificate,” Mr. Ramaphosa said during a speech in the country. He did not say when the new rules would replace a current long no-fly list that bans tourists from dozens of European countries and the United States.
The announcement came ahead of what would normally be the start of peak tourism season, when colder weather in the northern hemisphere begins to draw up to 10 million foreigners to the country’s pristine beaches and hunting safaris.
South Africa has recorded more than 740,000 coronavirus cases and nearly 20,000 deaths since spring, according to a New York Times database. Cases have dropped from a peak of 12,000 new infections a day in July to less than 2,000 a day in the past three months.
Still, the localized spikes in the cases have worried officials for several weeks, including in the Eastern Cape province and in Cape Town, a major tourist destination.
The government also declared five days of mourning for the victims of the pandemic and for the women and children victims of violence. South Africa has one of the highest rates of violence against women in the world, what Ramaphosa called a “second pandemic.”
He said the national flag would fly at half mast and urged all citizens to wear black armbands on November 25.
In other news from around the world:
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Athletes traveling to Japan for the Tokyo Olympics next summer will not be subject to the 14-day quarantine requirement, organizers said Thursday, though they must test negative before and in some cases after arrival. Rules for spectators for the Games, which were postponed for a year due to the pandemic, have yet to be decided.
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All of Hong Kong’s kindergartens and nurseries will be closed for two weeks as a precaution, health officials said on Thursday, citing a cluster of more than 100 upper respiratory infections. So far, no student or teacher has tested positive for the coronavirus, but some have symptoms associated with it. The nurseries and kindergartens reopened in late September after spending most of the year operating remotely.
