Restrictions on international travel and social or business gatherings will ease from 21 September.
On 16 September, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that South Africa will be moving to Covid-19 Alert Level 1 starting on 21 September.
With the move to level 1 comes changes to the existing rules and restrictions to help curb the spread of Covid-19, including:
Gatherings
Any gatherings will be permitted, as long as the number of people does not exceed 50 percent of the normal capacity of a venue. A maximum of 250 people will be allowed for indoor gatherings and 500 people for outdoor gatherings.
Gyms, entertainment and
Venues for exercise, recreation and entertainment, like gyms and theatres, as well as retail stores will also be allowed to accommodate up to 50 percent of their venue’s capacity as determined by available floor space.
Travel
International travel for business and leisure will be permitted from 1 October using one of the land border posts that have remained operational during the lockdown, or one of the three main airports, King Shaka, OR Tambo and Cape Town International Airports.
Travel may be restricted to and from certain countries that have high infection rates.
Alcohol
The sale of alcohol at retail outlets for home consumption is now permitted from Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm.
Alcohol will also be permitted for on-site consumption in licensed establishments only and with strict adherence to the curfew.
Curfew
The curfew will now apply between midnight and 4am.
Despite these changes, the protocols around washing hands, sanitising, social distancing and wearing masks remain in place.
