Lockdown Level 4 In South Africa: What We Can & Can’t Do
Last night, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a partial easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions that will come into effect on 1 May. We break down what the new lockdown restrictions will entail.
Following the president’s address to the nation last night, the PDF files that you can download above, or by clicking on the hyperlink (link 2), was released. It contains details about the new guidelines for lockdown measures. Here are some of the highlights:
What restrictions will there be on my movements?
You will not be allowed to cross provincial borders as the government aims to follow separate strategies between provinces, with Gauteng and the Eastern Cape considered as especially high risk zones with “Moderate to high virus spread, with low to moderate readiness [to handle the infections].”
However, you will be permitted to travel to and from work and to buy essential goods and groceries, although people over the age of 60 will be required to stay home and take leave with employers providing them with full pay. In reopened businesses where it is possible to work remotely, employers are asked to allow employees to stay home.
What business activities will be resuming? And what can I start buying again?
Along with the essential services, food retail stores will be open again and allowed to trade their full line of products, within existing stock. All agricultural production will resume (yes, including wine farms!) Forestry, pulp, paper and open cast mines will resume full operation, while all other mines will operate at 50%. All financial and professional services will resume, as well as global businesses for export markets. Postal, telecommunications, fiber optic and IT services will be permitted to resume activity and recycling services can continue operation.
You will also be able to buy cigarettes again.
“Individual businesses or workplaces must have COVID-19 risk assessments and plans in place, and must conduct worker education on COVID-19 and protection measures:
- Identification and protection of vulnerable employees
- Safe transport of employees
- Screening of employees on entering the workplace
- Prevention of viral spread in the workplace
- Cleaning of surfaces and shared equipment
- Good ventilation
- Managing sick employees
Monitoring systems must be in place to (1) ensure compliance with safety protocols and (2) identify infections among employees.”
What transport systems will I be able to use?
Buses, taxis, e-hailing (Uber, etc.) and private cars will now be permitted to operate at all times of day, but there will be limitations on capacity and strict containment measures (such as hygiene requirements) must be put into place.
For more details on the restrictive measures being put into place and what the new stages of lockdown restrictions to come will be, please see the document above. The Essential Millennial will continue to keep you informed as the crisis continues throughout the country and the rest of the world.
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Originally published at http://essentialmillennial.com on April 24, 2020.
