Draft regulations show what could be allowed under South Africa’s level 3 lockdown: report

Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has tabled guidelines for the country’s move to level 3, the Sunday Times reports.

The paper reports that the draft guidelines propose the reopening up of all sectors of the economy from 1 June, with the exception of:

• Hotels;
• Restaurants;
• Bars;
• Gyms;
• Other recreational facilities (casinos, clubs, etc).

The Sunday Times reports that the sale of alcohol will be allowed under level 3 lockdown but that the prohibition on the sale of cigarettes will continue.

Government is also likely to place restrictions on the number of people who can return to work, with larger companies of more than 500 people expected to provide transport for their workers in an attempt to ease congestion in the public transport system.

Businesses will also be asked to introduce staggered working hours, to limit congestion on public transport and at the workplace.

The draft regulations also show:

• Non-contact sports matches would be allowed, with no fans in attendance – only the teams, management, medical staff, limited broadcast crew, and two journalists;
• Domestic workers would be allowed, but only if employers organise private transport for them (not at the domestic worker’s cost);
• Public parks and beaches would be open for the purpose of exercise only;
• Exercise would not be restricted by time, but still cannot be in groups or organised clubs, and needs to adhere to social distancing rules.

Move to level 3

President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to address the nation at 19h00 on Sunday (24 May) on developments in South Africa’s risk-adjusted strategy to manage the spread of Covid-19.

The president has spent much of the last week in consultations with the business, labour and community about the country’s move to level 3.

Ramaphosa had previously indicated that most of the country will move to a level 3 lockdown by June. However, he cautioned that some areas will remain at a level 4 lockdown based on the number of cases they report.

This was confirmed by Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize this week, who said that said that the districts with low transmissions will be put on a ‘vigilance programme’ to maintain low levels of the virus.

However, he said that those districts with high transmissions, as well as metropolitan areas, will be classified as hot spots where restrictions are necessary and strong teams of medical experts will be deployed.

“The outcome of these interventions will determine if there is a need to impose lockdown restrictions in a limited geographic district or metropolitan area,” he said.

Read: South Africans are now allowed to leave the country for ‘essential travel’ – what you need to know