President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the country will move from Lockdown Level 3 to Level 4 for two weeks from 28 June until 11 July 2021.
This means that for 14 days, the country will need to adhere to the following restrictions:
· All social, religious, political and other gatherings of any size are prohibited.
· Funerals are restricted to a maximum of 50 people, while night vigils and post-funeral gatherings will not be allowed.
· Visits to old age homes, care facilities and other ‘congregant settings’ are restricted.
· The curfew is from 9pm until 4am. Apart from permitted workers, no person may be outside their place of residence during the curfew.
· Public spaces, such as beaches and parks, will remain open.
· All retail stores will remain open.
· Factories, mines, farms and other businesses will continue to operate.
· Restaurants and other eateries may only serve food for take-away or delivery.
· All non-essential establishments will need to close by 8pm.
· The sale of alcohol for on-site and off-site consumption is prohibited.
· Inter-provincial travel to Gauteng is prohibited for leisure purposes, and will only be allowed for work, business, transit through airports, transport of goods, funerals or to return home.
· Travelling to other provinces will be allowed.
· All employers should allow their employees to work from home, unless it is absolutely necessary for them to work on-site.
· You can still go to work, unless you are able to work remotely.
· Outside of work, you should only meet with members of your household.
· All public and private schools will close early for the winter break, starting from 30 June 2021.
· Wearing your mask (covering your nose and mouth) in public is mandatory and will be considered an offense if not adhered to.
· Sanitise/wash your hands with soap regularly, social distance 1.5 metres from others.
· Avoid crowded or closed spaces.
“We will assess the impact of these interventions after 14 days to determine whether they need to be maintained or adjusted,” the President said in his address to the nation on 27 July 2021.
More groups to join the vaccine roll-out plan
Vaccinations for individuals working in the basic education sector have already commenced, while healthcare workers and those over the age of 60 continue to be vaccinated. From July onwards, the following groups of people will be eligible:
· 50 to 59 year olds, will be eligible for vaccination from 15 July 2021 onwards – registration opens on 1 July 2021.
· Police and other security personnel – vaccinations begin 5 July 2021.
Read the President’s full speech by clicking here.
