CAPE TOWN - Vaccine “passports” will soon be rolled out to facilitate travel, access to establishments, gatherings and other forms of activity that require proof of vaccination status.
President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement on Thursday night when he addressed the nation, moving the country to adjusted alert level 1.
He said the move to introduce the vaccine certificate was informed by the World Health Organization guidelines, and it was in line with international best practice.
“Streamlining and standardising proof of vaccination will also go a long way towards getting a number of international travel restrictions both from and into our country eased. Getting vaccinated is not only about protecting yourself and those around you.
“It is also about preventing new and more dangerous variants from emerging, as the virus is able to spread and mutate in unvaccinated populations,” he said.
The move to adjusted level 1 comes four weeks before the local government elections, scheduled for November 1.
This means that the curfew will change from midnight to 4am, and 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.
The maximum number of people permitted to gather indoors will increase from 250 to 750, and the maximum number of people permitted to gather outdoors will be from 500 to 2 000.
Where the venue is too small to accommodate these numbers with appropriate social distancing, then no more than 50% 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.
The maximum number of people permitted at a funeral will increase from 50 to 100.
Night vigils, after-funeral gatherings and “after-tears” gatherings are still prohibited.
The sale of alcohol – for both off-site and on-site consumption – will be permitted, according to normal licence provisions, but no alcohol may be sold after 11 pm.
The wearing of masks in public places is still mandatory, and failure to wear a mask when required remains a criminal offence.
Ramaphosa cautioned that even those who are vaccinated need to continue to adhere to the basic precautions to limit the spread of the virus from one person to another.
“We know that indoor gatherings, particularly in places that have poor ventilation, are the major cause of outbreaks and super spreader events.
“We must continue wearing our masks at all times when in public, keep our distance from others and always ensure that windows are open and that there is a flow of fresh air. If we continue to adhere to these regulations, if we keep the rate of infections low, and most importantly if we vaccinate significant numbers of the adult population, we will keep the pandemic at bay and eventually, force it into decline,” he said.
The country’s tourism sector was recently dealt a blow when the UK imposed a travel ban by red listing the country. Ramaphosa said he put South Africa’s case during his phone call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to discuss this matter.
“We both agreed that decisions of this nature should be informed by science and are hopeful of a positive outcome when the issue comes up for review in the coming days. This has put us in a disadvantaged position, since the United Kingdom is South Africa’s biggest source of tourism from the northern hemisphere and a significant trading partner. While UK scientists were concerned about the presence of the Beta variant in South Africa, the reality is that the Delta variant is now by far the dominant variant in the country,” said Ramaphosa.
South Africa has administered more than 17 million vaccine doses. More than 8.6 million people are fully vaccinated, which is more than one-fifth of the adult population.
“We have set ourselves the target of vaccinating 70%of the adult population in South Africa by the end of the year. If we reach this target, the Department of Health estimates that we could save up to 20 000 lives. That represents 20 000 people – mothers, fathers, sons and daughters – whose death can be prevented if the majority of us chooses to get vaccinated. To reach our goal we need to administer an additional 16 million vaccine doses this year, which amounts to around 250 000 first dose vaccinations every single workday of every week until mid-December,” he said.
Cape Times