As South Africa prepares to enter the next phase of the pandemic, the government and Department of Health will be considering several non-pharmaceutical measures to be implemented.
Government to introduce permanent long-term Covid rules
According to Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, medical experts and government officials will be meeting to discuss lifting the national state of disaster. Instead, they will be looking at replacing the state of disaster with long-term regulations in order to manage the spreading of Covid-19.
On Thursday, Dlamini-Zuma confirmed that the following are some of the proposed long-term regulations:
Mask Mandates
Government is considering scrapping the requirement for masks in outdoor areas only.
Social distancing
Social distancing will likely remain, however, it will be reduced to 1 metre instead of 1.5 metres.
Gatherings
Venues will be allowed to fill 50% of their floor space.
Sanitising
According to Dlamini-Zuma, washing and sanitising hands will be around “forever” since it forms part of good hygiene.
Face masks and sanitisers may soon be a thing of the past. CoGTA Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma says the Health department has suggested non-pharmaceutical measures like the wearing of masks be scrapped for outdoor use. For more: https://t.co/VgRk3oRGWj #DStv403 #eNCA pic.twitter.com/rYGjh2YFW8
— eNCA (@eNCA) March 10, 2022
National sate of disaster
The country’s state of disaster is currently set to expire on 15 March 2022. This means that South Africa has been under regulations for 24 months as it was first declared in March 2020.
And if all goes to plan, this would have been the last extension of the state of disaster. Ramaphosa has previously stated that since the government will introduce more permanent long-term regulations, it might not be necessary to extend the state of diaster again.