Here are South Africa’s proposed lockdown regulations to replace the state of disaster
Health minister Dr Joe Phaahla has published an amendment to South Africa’s Regulations Relating to the Surveillance and The Control of Notifiable Medical Conditions.
These amendments pave the way for ending the national state of disaster while keeping certain pandemic management protocols in place.
Medical professionals, civil society, and opposition parties have called for South Africa’s state of disaster to end.
Researchers, doctors, and academics like Wits university’s professor Shabir Madhi have argued that South Africa now likely has widespread immunity to the coronavirus.
This is thanks to a combination of vaccination and infection. A recent study found a high prevalence of hybrid immunity in South Africa — vaccinated people who have also been infected with the virus.
South Africa’s new resilience against the coronavirus came at the cost of 300,000 lives, according to South African Medical Research Council excess mortality estimates.
While medical researchers and doctors have advocated for the end of the state of disaster, they also said the government should keep measures such as mask mandates for large gatherings, and that vaccine mandates for specific sectors should be considered.
To unwind the national state of disaster, President Cyril Ramaphosa has stated that it is necessary to introduce regulations to ensure necessary protocols remain in place.
Among the amended regulations published on Wednesday were:
- Mandatory medical examinations, isolation, and treatments for people with notifiable medical conditions, with an option to self-isolate for those with Internet access
- Mandatory face masks for indoor gatherings and public transport
- 1-metre physical distancing
- Employers to encourage work-from-home where necessary and restrict face-to-face meetings
- Travellers entering and leaving South Africa must have a vaccine certificate, or a negative PCR test no older than 72 hours
- Hand sanitisers must be placed at all entrances of public places to promote hand hygiene
- Restrictions on funeral attendance — During Covid–19, funerals are limited to 100 people.
- Restrictions on night vigils and after-funeral gatherings — Banned during Covid–19
- Restrictions on attendance at other gatherings — 50% of venue capacity, if attendees have vaccine certificates. Without proof of vaccination, attendance is limited to 1,000 indoors and 2,000 outdoors.
The regulations also allow further restrictions to be implemented through other government departments.
The Department of Health may give advice relating to curfews, a national lockdown, sports, economic activity, public transportation, religious and cultural practices, and the sale of alcohol.
Once the regulations are approved, the Department of Health said they would be implemented without being tabled in parliament, since it is subordinate legislation already delegated to the minister.
Public comments on the proposed amendments are open until 15 April 2022.
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