The new alert level will come into effect later on Sunday evening, once the regulations have been gazetted.<\/p>\n
The five airports open for international travel are:<\/p>\n
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- OR Tambo International Airport<\/li>\n
- Cape Town International Airport<\/li>\n
- Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport<\/li>\n
- King Shaka International Airport<\/li>\n
- Lanseria Airport<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The 33 land border posts that have been closed throughout this period will remain closed, while the other 20 will remain open.<\/p>\n
“As we ease restrictions we cannot let our guard down. The few remaining restrictions aim to it infections and prevent super spreader events,” Ramaphosa said.<\/p>\n
The threat of a third wave is constantly present – as is the threat of new variants, he said.<\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nVaccines<\/strong><\/p>\n
In the 10 days since launching its vaccine programme, Ramaphosa said that nearly 67,000 healthcare workers have been vaccinated to date, with a further 80,000 Johnson and Johnson vaccines arriving in the country this week.<\/p>\n
He added that the number of Covid-19 vaccination sites will be expanded from 17 to 49 sites in the next week. Once all healthcare workers have been vaccinated, phase 2 of the vaccine rollout will begin, he said.<\/p>\n
The president said that phase 2 will target the elderly, public-facing service workers and those with co-morbidities. This phase is set to begin at the end of April and the beginning of May.<\/p>\n
Ramaphosa said the government has also concluded agreements with manufacturers such as Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson to ensure that it will have enough vaccines.<\/p>\n
This week the National Treasury said that it has allocated R9 billion to fund the country\u2019s Covid-19 vaccine rollout strategy.<\/p>\n
Tabling the Budget Review on Wednesday, Treasury said ensuring access to Covid-19 vaccines is government\u2019s immediate priority. \u201cOver the medium term, R9 billion is allocated for vaccine rollout,” it said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf this amount, the Department of Health is allocated R6.5 billion to procure and distribute vaccines.<\/p>\n
“An amount of R100 million will be transferred to the South African Medical Research Council for vaccine research. Provincial health departments are allocated R2.4 billion to administer vaccines.\u201d<\/p>\n
As announced by the minister of health, Dr Zweli Mkhize in January 2021, South Africa\u2019s three-phase vaccine rollout strategy aims to vaccinate 67% of the population over a 12-month period.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccess to vaccinations will be provided free of charge, in line with need and the rollout schedule. Funding for vaccine procurement and rollout is drawn from the national budget.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince the state is procuring vaccines on behalf of both the public and private sectors, some revenue will return to the fiscus when private providers buy vaccines from the state.\u201d<\/p>\n
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