Staff Reporter
South Africa has lifted the ban on the sale of alcohol and tobacco products while all restrictions on inter-provincial travel will also be removed starting on Monday as the country moves to Alert Level 2 of the national lockdown.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the move is guided by advice from health experts as the country’s health system is no longer under pressure from COVID-19 patients as the number of infections continues to go down.
“Guided by the advice of our health experts and after consultation with provincial and local government, cabinet has decided to place the entire country on Alert Level 2, with effect from midnight on Monday, the 17th of August,” he said.
The president said this in a televised national address on Saturday evening to give an update on developments in the country’s risk-adjusted strategy to manage the spread of COVID-19.
The address followed a meeting earlier this week of the National Coronavirus Command Council as well as today’s meeting of the President’s Coordinating Council and Cabinet.
Alert Level 2, in terms of the country’s risk-adjusted strategy in dealing with the pandemic, means that there is a moderate COVID-19 spread of the virus with a relatively high health system readiness.
“The move to Level 2 means that we can remove nearly all of the restrictions on the resumption of economic activity across most industries,” Ramaphosa said.
“Economic activity will be allowed with the necessary and appropriate stringent health protocols and safety precautions in place.”
Key changes to take effect under Level 2 include:
- All restrictions on inter-provincial travel will be lifted.
- Accommodation, hospitality venues and tours will be permitted according to approved protocols to ensure social distancing.
- Restaurants, bars and taverns will be permitted to operate according to approved protocols as to times of operation and numbers of people.
- Restrictions on the sale of tobacco will be lifted.
- The suspension of the sale of alcohol will be lifted subject to certain restrictions: alcohol will be permitted for on-site consumption in licensed establishments only up until 10pm; liquor outlets will be allowed to sell alcohol for off-site consumption from Monday to Thursday during the hours of 9am to 5pm only.
- Restrictions on family and social visits will also be lifted, although everyone is urged to exercise extreme caution and undertake such visits only if necessary.
The president said strict health protocols should still be observed during family visits because infections have been known to take place during such occasions.
“Social distancing should be observed, masks should continue to be worn and special care should be taken to protect the elderly and people with underlying conditions,” he said.
“Familiarity with each other should not allow us to forget these precautions.”
The current restrictions on international travel will however remain in place and no gatherings of more than 50 people will be permitted, including at funerals and religious events.
Spectators will not be permitted at sporting events and the curfew will remain in place between the hours of 10pm and 4am.
Ramaphosa said over the last three weeks, the number of new confirmed cases has dropped from a peak of over 12 000 a day to an average over the past week of around 5 000 a day.
The recovery rate from coronavirus has risen from 48 to 80 percent.
He said the cumulative number of cases in the country however remains extremely high at 583 653.
The virus, according to the president, appears to have peaked in several provinces, including the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Gauteng and possibly in KwaZulu-Natal.
He said fewer people are presenting with symptoms at health facilities across the country.
There are also fewer people requiring admission at hospitals and the demand for coronavirus tests has dropped.
“The number of patients hospitalised has decreased from 10 000 at the beginning of the month to around 4 000. This is significantly reducing the pressure on our health facilities,” Ramaphosa said.
A total of 11 667 people have been confirmed to have died from COVID-19 in South Africa.