South Africa News

This is What you can and can’t do – New level 1 lockdown restrictions for South Africa

Minister for Cooperative Governance and Corporate Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has published the updated alert level 1 lockdown regulations for South Africa.

These regulations include new national restrictions on a number of activities, including alcohol sales, gatherings, and public spaces.

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma

This follows an address by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday 14 December 2020, during which he announced additional lockdown restrictions for the country ahead of the festive season.

Ramaphosa also said the Sarah Baartman district in the Eastern Cape and the Garden Route District in the Western Cape are now classified as COVID-19 hotspots.

Nkosazana-Dlamini-ZUma-and-Cyril-Ramaphosa

This places them under more stringent regulations than the rest of the country, including a six-hour curfew from 22:00 until 04:00 and the closure of beaches and parks.

These restrictions will be reviewed in early January based on the state of the pandemic across the country, Ramaphosa said.

Below is the full list of additional restrictions which are now in force nationwide.

Movement of persons
Every person is confined to his or her place of residence from 23:00 until 04:00 daily, except where a person:
has been granted a permit for essential service;
is attending to a security or medical emergency.
Closing time for the following establishments is 22:00 daily:
Faith-based institutions;
venues where social events are hosted;
venues hosting concerts and live performances;
cinemas, theatres, and casinos;
museums, galleries and archives;
gyms, fitness centres and swimming pools;
restaurants, bars, taverns, shebeens, and similar establishments;
venues hosting sport, arts and culture activities; and
any other place where a gathering may take place.

Attendance of funerals
Attendance at a funeral is limited to 100 persons or less: Provided that not more than 50 percent of the capacity of the venue is used, with persons observing a distance of at least one and a half metres from each other.
Night vigils are not allowed.
After-funeral gatherings are not allowed.
During a funeral, a person must wear a face mask and adhere to all health protocols and social distancing measures.

Employers and businesses
An employer may not allow any employee to perform any duties or enter the employment premises if the employee is not wearing a cloth face mask, homemade item, or another appropriate item that covers the nose and mouth while performing his or her duties.

Every business premises, including, but not limited to, a supermarket, shop, grocery store, retail store, wholesale produce market or pharmacy shall:
determine their area of floor space in square metres;
based on the information contemplated in paragraph (a), determine the number of customers and employees that may be inside the premises at any time with adequate space available;
take steps to ensure that persons queuing inside or outside the premises are able to maintain a distance of one and a half metres from each other;
provide hand sanitisers for use by the public and employees at the entrance to the premises; and
assign, in writing, an employee or any other suitable person, as the compliance employee.
All employers must adopt measures to promote physical distancing of employees.

Beaches and Parks
Beaches in the Eastern Cape province will be closed to the public from 16 December 2020 until 3 January 2021;
Beaches in the Garden Route District will be closed to the public from 16 December 2020 until 3 January 2021;
Beaches in the KwaZulu -Natal province will be closed to the public on 16, 25, 26 and 31 December 2020 and 1, 2 and 3 January 2021;
Beaches in the Northern Cape and the Western Cape provinces (excluding the Garden Route District beaches) will be open to the public;
Festivals, live music, live performances and loud music at beaches are prohibited.

All beaches that are open to the public shall:
Be open between 09:00 and 18:00
Be monitored for compliance with all health protocols, wearing of face masks and social distancing measures; and
Any loud music, whether live or otherwise, is prohibited.
The closure of beaches and restrictions on times of operation does not apply to fishermen for fishing purposes, who are in possession of a permit or exemption granted in terms of the Marine Living Resources Act, 1998 (Act No. 18 of 1998)
Public parks in the Eastern Cape province will be closed from 16 December 2020 until 3 January 2021;
Public parks in the KwaZulu-Natal province will be closed to the public only on 16, 25, 26, and 31 December 2020 and 1, 2, and 3 January 2021;
Public parks in the Northern Cape and Western Cape provinces will be open to the public; and
Public parks that are open to the public shall be open between 09:00 and 18:00.

Liquor sales
The sale of liquor by a licensed premises for off-site consumption is only permitted from 10:00 to 18:00, from Mondays to Thursdays, excluding Fridays. Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays.
The consumption of liquor in public places, except in licensed on-site consumption premises, is not permitted.

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Source: mybroadband