Wearing a mask in public is still mandatory under level one lockdown regulations, Health Minister Joe Phaahla said last Friday (4 February). Any person who fails to comply with a verbal instruction from a law enforcement officer to wear a mask commits an offence, he said, according to a News24 report.
An offender is liable to a fine or imprisonment not exceeding six months. The regulations further state that no person will be allowed to operate or use public transport, or be in a public open space or building used by the public to obtain goods and services, without wearing a mask. Phaahla said the government had not yet been advised on getting rid of mask mandates and that these would be discussed, but did not give a timeframe.
“Our Ministerial Advisory Committee will discuss the matter and give us advice, but we will also consider, based on the advice, look(ing) at the experiences elsewhere. We shouldn’t drop our guard. There is ample evidence that masks do reduce the spread,” Phaahla said.
News24 article – Masks are here to stay for now, says Health Minister Joe Phaahla (Open access)
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