Several rules have changed, with regards to the management of the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa, after President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on Tuesday.
It has been almost two years since President Ramphosa declared the National State of Disaster to combat the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The decision taken by the government at the time resulted in several regulations that South Africans had to abide by. This included compulsory mask-wearing, social distancing, respecting curfews and how businesses were allowed to operate.
The president announced that It will no longer be compulsory to wear masks when walking on the street or in an open space, when exercising outdoors or when attending an outdoor gathering.
Mask wearing is however still compulsory for indoor venues, on public transport and in public spaces.
Ramaphosa said, “This means that we still need to wear masks when in shops, malls, offices, factories, taxis, buses, trains or any other indoor public space. But we do not need to wear masks when walking on the street or in an open space, when exercising outdoors or when attending an outdoor gathering”.
The president also revealed that more than 68% of people over the age of 60 have been vaccinated against Covid-19. He did voice his concern around the lower uptake of vaccinations among people between the ages of 18 and 35, where only 35% of that age cohort has received a jab.
The president has called on people to get vaccinated against the virus.
He said, “If we are all vaccinated, we can turn our energy, resources and effort to rebuilding our economy and creating much-needed jobs”.