Everything you need to know about the COVID regulations with regards to masks, travel, events and how much longer this will continue.
Pretoria, South Africa (05 May 2022) – The COVID regulations on Masks, Event Capacity and International Travel regulations have been extended by 3 months and gazetted at 11 pm last night.
The Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, has extended the period for public comments on health regulations relating to the Surveillance and Control of Notifiable Medical Conditions; Public Measures in Points of Entry; Management of Human Remains and Environmental Health by three months with effect from Thursday, 5 May 2022.
Click here to download this government gazette.
The new closing date for submitting comments on the COVID regulations is the 5th of July 2022. This extension is in line with statutory requirements and will afford the department sufficient time to go through and consider all comments and representations on the regulations.
Comments must be sent only to this e-mail: legalreviews@health.gov.za on or before the expiry of three (3) months from publication.
“All public members who submitted comments in the initial public consultation process do not need to resubmit these comments as all comments already submitted will be considered part of this process.
In order to ensure that there is no gap in terms of legal instruments to contain the spread of COVID-19 and future notifiable medical conditions, the department has gazetted the limited regulations for implementation with effect from Thursday, 05 May 2022.”
These regulations mainly focus on wearing face masks, gatherings, and persons entering the country.
Masks
Regarding wearing a face mask, a person must wear a face mask when entering and being inside an indoor public place.
“The Department would also like to bring to the public attention the confusion created by unfortunate and regrettable human error in the media statement issued yesterday about the removal of face mask wearing by children at school. This is not part of the gazetted health regulations, and is therefore retracted to avoid any misunderstanding of the regulations. Therefore, children like other people are expected to continue complying with the provisions of Regulation 16A on face masks in the classrooms and general indoor gatherings, unlike outdoors in playgrounds and sports fields.”
Again, under these limited regulations, no person may use any form of public transport unless wearing a face mask.
Face masks are an effective non-pharmaceutical intervention against the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and it is more relevant now as the number of COVID-19 positive cases is rising once again.
Events
Gatherings are more clearly defined as planned assembly or meetings involving more than one hundred persons at a particular venue.
For any indoor and outdoor gatherings, a maximum of 50% of the venue capacity may be occupied, provided that every attendee must be vaccinated against COVID-19 and produce a valid vaccination certificate. Alternatively, attendees must produce a valid negative COVID-19 test result not older than 72 hours prior to the date of the gathering.
If complying with this indoor gathering requirement is not possible, then attendance shall be limited to 1000 people or 50% of the capacity, whichever is smaller, while the attendance at an outdoor gathering shall be limited to 2000 people or 50% of the capacity, whichever is smaller.
Travel
All international travellers arriving at South African Ports of Entry must be vaccinated against
COVID-19 and produce a valid vaccination certificate; or produce a valid negative PCR COVID-19 test result not older than 72 hours before the date of departure.
Alternatively, travellers have another option of producing a valid negative antigen COVID-19 test result performed by a medical practitioner, registered public health authority or accredited/approved laboratory obtained not older than 48 hours before the date of departure.
In a case where an international traveller is unable to produce a vaccination certificate, or a negative PCR test result older than 72 hours or a negative antigen test result obtained at least 48 hours prior to departure, then he/she must undergo antigen testing at the Port of Entry.
If the person tests positive for COVID-19 in the antigen test, the traveller will still be admitted into the country, but if the traveller is experiencing symptoms of COVID19, they must self-isolate a period of ten days after admission into South Africa.
However, the vaccination or testing requirement is not applicable to travellers who are under the age of 12 years and daily commuters from neighbouring countries.
It is important to emphasise that the proposed amendments to the health regulations do not amend the National Health Act, 2003 but rather augment certain existing regulations.
“The Department would like to remind people that, despite the current process to source public comments on the health regulations, there is still an imperative to provide options to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and other notifiable medical conditions without invoking the state of national disaster.
Therefore, members of the public are reminded that COVID-19 remains a life-threatening disease, and the country is not yet out of the woods.
The only way we can protect ourselves and our loved ones against this pandemic and the current rising number of positive cases is through vaccination and adhering to preventative measures at all times.
Fully vaccinated people are urged to consider booster shots to increase their immunity.”
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