Amended COVID-19 disaster management regulations have been gazetted, confirming announcements from President Cyril Ramaphosa and South Africa’s return to lockdown level one.
A statement from the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs reads:
Following the decision of Cabinet, and upon recommendation of the Minister of Health, the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma designated under section 3 and 27(2) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002), gazetted the notice to move to the country to Alert Level 1 with effect from 01 March 2021 and gazetted amendments to directions relating to alert level 1.
The Classification of the Regulations is amended.
All district municipalities must, after consultation with its local municipalities in its area, alert communities within that district of the increasing number of infections that could lead to that district being declared a hotspot.
Industries, businesses and entities, both private and in the public sector, must operate within the Alert Level 1 regulations as gazetted.
Every person is confined to observe curfew time from 00H00 until 04H00 daily unless a person has a permit.
It is important to note that even as the country moves to Alert level 1 and economic activities increasing, a ‘face mask’ means a cloth face mask or a homemade item that covers the nose and mouth, or another appropriate item to cover the nose and mouth still remain mandatory.
Attendance of a funeral is limited to 100 persons or less and if the venue is too small to hold the prescribed number of persons observing a distance of at least one and a half metres from each other, then not more than 50% of the capacity of the venue may be used, subject to strict adherence to all health protocols and all persons maintaining a distance of one and a half metres from each other. Night vigils or after-funeral gatherings, including “after-tears”, gatherings are not allowed.
All people attending gatherings should endeavour to limit exposure to COVID-19 by adhering to all protocols and regulations.
The 20 land borders which are fully operational, will remain as such and the 33 land borders which were closed, will remain closed.
Minister Dlamini Zuma calls on citizens to observe all the necessary COVID-19 health protocols and remaining restrictions to avert possible resurgence.
[link url="https://www.cogta.gov.za/index.php/2021/03/01/minister-dlamini-zumas-statement-on-the-movement-to-covid-19-alert-level-1-and-amended-regulations/"]Cogta statement[/link]
[link url="https://www.cogta.gov.za/cgta_2016/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/44201_28-2_Cogta.pdf"]Government Gazette regulations[/link]