Following the address by President Ramaphosa on 30 September 2021, the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs(COGTA), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma gazetted new Covid-19 regulations moving the country to Adjusted Level 1 from midnight (30 September 2021). The Minister of CoGTA is designated under section 3 and 27(2) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002).
 
The Cabinet decision to move the country to Alert Level 1, follows meetings of the National Coronavirus Command Council and the President’s Coordinating Council.
 
Cabinet made the decision to move the country to Adjusted Level 1 following a sustained decrease in infections, hospitalisation and covid related deaths following the Delta variant, and an increase in Vaccination.
 
The following measures will apply under Alert Level 1:
 
– Curfew: between 12 midnight and 4 am. Non-essential establishments like restaurants, bars and fitness centres will need to close by 11 pm to allow their employees and patrons to travel home before the start of the curfew.
 
– Gatherings: The maximum number of people permitted to gather indoors 750, and the maximum number of people permitted to gather outdoors is 2000. Where the venue is too small to accommodate these numbers with appropriate social distancing, then no more than 50 per cent of the capacity of the venue may be used. This includes religious services, political events and social gatherings, as well as restaurants, bars, taverns and similar places.
 
– Funerals: maximum number of people permitted at a funeral will be 100. The night vigils, after-funeral gatherings and ‘after-tears’ gatherings are not allowed.
 
– The sale of alcohol: permitted for both off-site and on-site consumption, as per normal licence provisions. No alcohol may be sold after 11 pm.
 
– Masks: The wearing of masks in public places is still mandatory, and failure to wear a mask when required remains a criminal offence.
 
We all have the responsibility to save lives and prevent our health facilities and staff from being overwhelmed. To this effect, we urge all people in the country to prioritise vaccination as the only solution. To date we have administered over 17 million vaccine doses and Over 8.6 million people are fully vaccinated.
 
We urge everyone to play their part and join the countrywide drive to encourage our people to get vaccinated – “Vooma Vaccination Weekends Campaign” from Friday, 01 October 2021. Getting vaccinated is the only way of protecting ourselves and those around us, whilst also ensuring prevention from future variants.
 
I urge you to work with leaders from across various sectors – “the political spectrum, civil society, religious leaders, traditional leaders, labour and business” who will be mobilising communities to stay safe by being vaccinated.
 
Let’s continue wearing our masks at all times when in public, keep our distance and always ensure that we are in properly ventilated spaces.
 
As we engage communities in this election period, we should all be guided by the Covid Alert Level 1 regulations as gazetted.
 
Let us all take advantage of Vooma Vaccination Weekends by going out to get vaccinated.