Following President Ramaphosa’s announcement that South Africa would move into alert level 2 of lockdown at midnight on Monday, 17 August 2020, the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs promulgated the new regulations. (You can download them here.)
These confirm that conferences and meetings remain permissible if they are limited to a 50-person attendance (excluding those who participate electronically) and are held strictly for business purposes.
The Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, addressed the media on Wednesday, 19 August 2020 to highlight what impact moving to alert level 2 has on the tourism sector. She summarised the following changes:
Accommodation
The requirement announced under Level 3 remain and addition to the direction is to allow accommodation for inter-provincial leisure travellers.
Accommodation facilities are expected to ensure that their breakfast and reception area keep to 50% of occupancy space.
Restaurants
The requirement announced under Level 3 remain and addition to the direction to allow onsite consumption of alcohol is permitted at licensed restaurants, bars every day and incompliance with the curfew time that starts at 10pm.
Having visited many restaurants, I’m encouraged to see innovations such as where you are able to scan a bar code and read the menu on your cellphone.
Places of attractions
Places of attractions are also open. These include, but are not limited to theme parks, amusement parks, water parks, family entertainment centres, zoos, aquariums, science centres, nature and game reserves, national parks and other entertainment and cultural attractions.
Tourism attractions must ensure social distancing and marking floors where tourists must stand. We further encourage online bookings were possible, to allow managing of the numbers.
Ensure that tourists and tourist guides wear their masks and sanitise regularly.
Provide sanitisation, where attractions have touch screens and touch buttons.
For all activities such water, quad bikes, hot air balloon etc, ensure proper sanitisation after every use.
Self-drives at game farms
Directions under level 3 remain.
Guided tours
Tourist Guides to ensure social distancing (e.g. marking seat or standing areas), sanitise, and wear masks at all times during the tours.
Tourist guides to keep records of their group tours and make them available when required by relevant authorities.
Venues for weddings and functions
The wedding host or function venue must ensure that they comply with requirement of a maximum of 50 people.
They must further ensure compliance to Social distancing, sanitising and wearing of masks.
To read her full address, click here.
