What level 3 means for you
Schools, religious gatherings and liquor sales to resume with strict health measures in place
DOs and don’ts of the national lockdown’s level 3 that will kick in on Monday have finally been made public, with the government defending its decision to reopen schools and places of worship.
Giving schools and faith-based organisations the green light raised concerns that they would be a springboard for massive Covid-19 infections in the country.
Yesterday, the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) detailed some of the regulations which would be imposed on socio-economic sectors as the national lockdown eases to level 3 early next week.
These included the resumption of religious gatherings and sale of liquor which had been banned in the past two months.
Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu argued that the government had put in place regulations that were aimed at ensuring that Covid-19 infections, which have now surpassed the 25000 mark and seen more than 500 people dead, were eliminated.
“Normally we have loads and loads of people coming to our churches. That has now been curtailed to the number 50 but that number must ensure that there is social distancing. We think that as the NCCC and the Cabinet, we have taken the necessary precautions that churches must adhere to,” Mthembu said. The measures include the prescription of face masks and a ban on singing.
EFF leader Julius Malema, however, blasted the move as a trap to kill people, as religious gatherings had already been a major contributor to the Covid-19 spread around the world, including in South Africa. Malema called on South Africans to desist from attending religious gatherings.
“Look what the church did in Bloemfontein. We have evidence of what the church can do. Do not go to church. We call upon the caring leaders of religion not to connive with white capital to kill black people. Our people can still pray at home and our leaders can still reach out to our people through different methods,” Malema said.
Mthembu said the previous church-related mass infections in the country had taken place because there were no prescribed measures.
“They are ready to implement all these measures that we have put in place to combat the spread of coronavirus. If you make these measures applicable to industry, on what basis then do you say a church that says ‘we will also observe these measures’ that they cannot open? It became very difficult,” he said.
Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel said the strict lockdown had helped the country to raise resources and better prepare medical and protective supplies to help manage the virus whose infections are set to continue increasing.
He said the lockdown measures of levels 5 and 4 had to be eased to help mitigate their socio-economic damage.
“If level 5 and to some extent level 4 was based on detailed regulation that were directed at having as many people at home as possible, level 3 instead is based on most South Africans being at work. That is the big shift,” Patel said.
Taverns and shebeens were also breathing a sigh of relief as Patel said they would also be allowed to resume their operations provided that they would sell liquor to be consumed off premises.
“We have stressed to the industry the continuing risks and they have undertaken to act responsibly,” he said.
Liquor sales will be conducted from Monday to Thursdays from 9am to 5pm.
Alcohol has been flagged as a major contributor in clogging up much-needed trauma hospital units due to related injuries and for its potential to aid the spread of infections.
Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma confirmed the ban on tobacco sales, except for export.
Dlamini Zuma said while some South Africans lamented the difficult measures imposed by the government in the past two months, they were necessary if the country was to defeat the virus and its impact.
“We must endure today so that we can secure the future of this beautiful country. Indeed, everything that the government has done and is doing is to make sure that the virus will not have a very devastating effect on our country and that post Covid-19 people will be there to rebuild their lives and to rebuild South Africa,” she said.