The health department intends to propose new regulations that will replace the Covid-19 regulations as set out in the national state of disaster when the national coronavirus command council meets within the coming week.
Health minister Joe Phaahla says the proposed amendments include changing travel requirements that could make it easier and cheaper to travel safely.
“We hope the reviewed health regulations and others from other departments will assist in a guided reopening of various economic and social activities, especially in the leisure and tourism areas with less risk of super spreaders,” Phaahla said on Friday during a briefing.
The national state of disaster is set to end on March 15 after an extension in February. It has been in place since March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic, allowing the government through co-operative governance & traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to make regulations such as imposing lockdowns, curfews and other restrictions without parliamentary oversight.
It was declared as part of the government’s response to slow down the rate of infections and to lessen the burden of infections on the country’s health sector.
In his state of the nation address in February, President Cyril Ramaphosa signalled that the government is preparing to end the state of disaster as it finalises legislation that would replace Covid-19 regulations, including regulations around social distancing and mask wearing.
Before ending the national state of disaster, however, the government is likely to consider the slow rate of vaccinations, with the country so far failing to reach the 70% mark among the adult population.
The government has relaxed the time frames between the two-dose Pfizer jab to boost vaccination rates but this has yet to achieve the intended results.
By Thursday, only 47,95% of adults had received at least one jab, with 56.5% coverage for women and 43.5% for men. There are 17-million fully vaccinated adults, or 43% coverage, Phaahla said.
“We should be able to pass the 48% coverage over the next few days which is still a far cry from the 70% coverage required for population immunity,” he said.
“Our biggest drawback is the 18-34 years age cohort, with 34% coverage and 29.3% at full vaccination, we need at least another 5-million of this cohort to get to 60% coverage.”
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