Ramaphosa announces easing of restrictions under alert level 3
18 Jun 2020
Restaurants for sit-down meals are to reopen soon.
President Ramaphosa announced this during an address to the nation last night on South Africa’s response to the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic.
In May, the president, in announcing the move to alert level 3 as from 1 June 2020, indicated that consideration would be given to “re-opening other sectors of the economy if the necessary safety precautions could be put in place and maintained”.
“Following further discussions with industry representatives on stringent prevention protocols, and after advice from scientists and consultation with Premiers, Cabinet has decided to ease restrictions on certain other economic activities.”
Other economic activities identified for the easing of restrictions include:
- Accredited and licensed accommodation, with the exception of home sharing accommodation like AirBnB.
- Conferences and meetings for business purposes and in line with restrictions on public gatherings.
- Cinemas and theatres, to be aligned to limitations on the gathering of people.
- Casinos.
- Personal care services, including hairdressers and beauty services.
- Non-contact sports such as golf, tennis, cricket and others. Contact sports can only train and engage in modified activities with restricted use of facilities.
The president pointed out that, in each instance, “specific and stringent safety requirements have been agreed on and will need to be put in place before a business can re-open, and protocols will need to be strictly adhered to for businesses to remain open”.
Specific measures will be published in due course and the dates for reopening will be announced.
The president also announced the setting up of the Africa Medical Supplies Portal.
“This is a single continental marketplace where African countries can access critical medical supplies, such as test kits, from suppliers and manufacturers in Africa and around the world in the necessary quantities and at competitive prices.”
According to the president, the platform will help to ensure that medical equipment, personal protective equipment and hospital facilities to manage the anticipated increase in COVID-19 patients are in place.
The president also condemned the wave of gender based violence and femicide sweeping the country.
21 women and children have been murdered in the past couple of weeks.
The president assured the “women and children of South Africa that our criminal justice system will remain focused on gender-based violence cases and that we can expect more arrests and more prosecutions against perpetrators to follow”.
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(This article is provided for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. For more information on the topic, please contact the author/s or the relevant provider.)