Staff Reporter
South Africa has banned the sale of alcohol for off-site consumption over the Easter holidays as part of efforts to promote responsible behaviour in the fight against COVID-19.
In a televised national address, President Cyril Ramaphosa also announced a host of adjustments to religious gatherings particularly to allow the Christian community to congregate in larger numbers over the weekend.
Ramaphosa said the sale of alcohol for off-site consumption will be prohibited starting Friday until Monday.
“On-site sales at restaurants, shebeens and bars will be allowed, according to licensing conditions, up until 23:00,” he said.
The president said the measures were necessary given the role of alcohol in fuelling reckless behaviour.
The country’s coronavirus Alert Level 1 remains unchanged and the national curfew will continue running from midnight until 4am.
Turning to religious gatherings, Ramaphosa said these will be restricted to a maximum of 250 people indoors and 500 outdoors.
Where the venue is too small to accommodate these numbers with appropriate social distancing, no more than 50 percent of the capacity of the venue may be used.
“Congregants should not gather outside their usual places of worship, and people must go home and not sleep over after services,” he warned.
The relaxation to the restrictions should also allow the Jewish community currently celebrating Passover and the Muslim community who will soon start marking the holy month of Ramadan to gather in larger numbers.
Other gatherings will also be restricted to a maximum number of 250 people indoors and 500 outdoors
Public recreational spaces such as beaches, parks and dams will remain open.
The president said the operation of these facilities will be subject to strict health protocols, such as social distancing and mask-wearing.
Funerals remain restricted to a maximum of 100 people and with a two-hour limit on services.
Interprovincial travel will be permitted but Ramaphosa urged South Africans to limit their travel as much as possible and to observe all the necessary health protocols if they cannot avoid travelling.
The latest adjustments to the sizes of gatherings will be reviewed in the next 15 days.
The president said second phase of the vaccination programme is scheduled to start in May and should run for six months.
“In line with international best practice, we will be prioritising those at the highest risk of hospitalisation and death, such as people over 60 and people living with co-morbidities,” he said.
“The second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination programme aims to ensure that we will protect our communities, prevent health services from being overwhelmed and reduce the need for lockdowns that seriously disrupt education, the economy and each one of our lives.”
Registration for vaccination will start in April and people have been encouraged to register online to avoid large gatherings.
Over 2 000 vaccination sites have been identified across the country.
These include general practitioners’ rooms, community clinics and pharmacies, retail outlets and in some instances, larger facilities like stadiums and conference centres.