South Africa has dropped the compulsory wearing of masks in indoor settings as well as other measures put in place to contain the spread of COVID-19 following a marked decline in active cases.
Health Minister Joe Phaahla confirmed this during a media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday.
On Wednesday, he published a notice in the Government Gazette repealing the country’s COVID-19 regulations.
The minister also announced that limits on gathering sizes and border checks for COVID-19 also fall way with immediate effect.
According to Phaahla, by mid-June the country recorded a marked drop in new reported cases while the number of hospitalisations also dropped.
The effective reproductive rate of the virus declined to under 0.7 percent and the reported deaths also declined. – Staff Reporter