South Africa’s health minister, Joe Phaahla, has officially presented the newest Covid-19 regulations under the National Health Act. These regulations are set to replace the country’s transitional measures.
And as the new measures are not transitional, no “end-date” was given, however, separate long-term changes are still being considered by the government.
Some of the main Covid-19 regulations that were gazetted included:
Masks
- A face mask is mandatory when in an indoor public place. This includes public transport
- The health minister will be allowed to lift mask regulations when he believes they are no longer necessary
Gatherings
- All venues are allowed to fill 50% of their capacity
- Those attending a gathering need to be fully vaccinated and in possession of a valid vaccination certificate
- If anyone cannot provide the above, a negative Covid-19 test needs to be shown (no older than 72 hours)
- Gatherings are also permitted to those who are unvaccinated and without tests. These gatherings are limited to 1000 people indoors and 2000 people in outdoor venues.
Travelling with Covid-19
In order to travel to South Africa:
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- A valid vaccination certificate needs to be shown upon arrival
- Unvaccinated travellers need to produce a negative Covid-19 test that was received no more than 72 hours before travelling
All outbound travellers from South Africa continue to comply with regulations set by the country of destination.
All new regulations are implemented from Thursday 5 May.
See the Government Gazette below: