South Africa could face Covid deregulation – but the question is: is the country ready for it? According to a letter from Health Minister Dr. Joe Phaahla to the MECs had left the country for the fifth wave and could consider lifting Covid-19 regulations. The minister’s spokesman, Doctor Tshwale, said the document was confidential and intended for consultation between the minister and his cabinet colleagues. “It is [from] Consensus with MECs for Minister to make recommendations to National Coronavirus Command Council [NCCC] and cabinet,” he said. Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the statement was true and the city welcomed the national…
South Africa could face Covid deregulation – but the question is: is the country ready for it?
According to a letter from Health Minister Dr. Joe Phaahla to the MECs had left the country for the fifth wave and could consider lifting Covid-19 regulations.
The minister’s spokesman, Doctor Tshwale, said the document was confidential and intended for consultation between the minister and his cabinet colleagues.
“It is [from] Consensus with MECs for Minister to make recommendations to National Coronavirus Command Council [NCCC] and cabinet,” he said.
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the statement was true and the city welcomed the national government’s belated move to lift remaining Covid-19 restrictions.
Lewis said he was encouraged to read the Health Secretary’s letter and urged all MECs, Cabinet and President Cyril Ramaphosa to support Phaahla’s recommendations and implement them without further delay.
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“The country has clearly left the fifth wave of infections behind. In addition, the death and hospitalization rates in the January and May waves were lower than in the previous ones, even though most of the restrictions had already been lifted,” he said.
“Further restricting South Africans’ freedom to choose whether to wear masks and to limit their participation in large gatherings is not rationally related to saving lives and is therefore unjustified.”
Mask wearing is currently mandatory indoors, including shopping malls and public transport.
There was also a 50% capacity for the number of people allowed into a venue if people were fully vaccinated or if people had a negative Covid test.
Phaahla’s letter also recommended that the country drop its entry requirements for travelers.
Currently, travelers were expected to show a vaccination certificate or a negative Covid test.
dr Angelique Coetzee, who spotted the Omicron variant in December, said it makes sense not to wear masks outdoors, but when it comes to indoors, it’s the individual’s responsibility to understand their role and risks if they are stay in places, especially where ventilation is poor.
“At the end of the day, it’s up to citizens to decide how they want to protect their health or how they want to protect themselves,” she said.
Regarding the recommendation not to wear masks, Coetzee said it was important to at least ensure the use of appropriate masks in healthcare and on public transport.
“That helps and we need to make sure we’re protecting people. It will protect against flu and other diseases,” she said.
The Efficient Group’s chief economist Dawie Roodt said Covid deregulation will have a “huge impact” on the South African economy because it would support the kind of places in the economy that are still doing poorly.
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“Tourism is one of the biggest that’s coming back strong and we need to do more to support it,” he said.
The April Tourist Accommodation Statistics released by Statistics South Africa shows that the revenue of the tourist accommodation industry increased by 53.4% in April this year compared to April last year.
Roodt said people were unhappy with the procedures when they had to visit SA or travel overseas.
“These are things that have made it difficult and are barriers to visiting,” he said.
The chair of the Federated Hospitality Association of SA, Rosemary Anderson, said it was long overdue to lift the restrictions as the rationale put in place was to ease the pressure on the healthcare system. “Hospitality was the hardest hit.”
A special Presidential Coordination Council is expected to be held today to discuss the regulations.
Additional reporting by Kgomotso Phooko