SA Gov
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a further easing of coronavirus (Covid19) lockdown restrictions, allowing the opening of restaurants for sit-down meals, commercially licensed accommodation, and personal care services, including hairdressers.
The President also announced that casinos and cinemas would be allowed to operate subject to certain conditions, while non-contact sport like golf, tennis, and cricket would be allowed.
“In each instance, specific and stringent safety requirements have been agreed on and will need to be put in place before a business can reopen, and protocols will need to be strictly adhered to for businesses to remain open,” said Ramaphosa.
Announcements would be made in due course to detail these measures and indicate the date from which these activities will be permitted.
The President made no mention of the lifting of the ban on the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products. These ongoing restrictions are now the subject of legal action.
“When I announced that the country would be moving to alert level 3 from the 1st of June, I said that we would be giving consideration to the reopening of other sectors of the economy if the necessary safety precautions can be put in place and maintained,”
“We have taken this decision with due care and seriousness, appreciating the risks associated with each activity and the measures needed to manage those risks.
Altogether, these industries employed over 500,000 people before the lockdown.
“We have had to think about these people and those who depend on them for their livelihoods,” Ramaphosa said.
"Through the easing of the lockdown, we are continuing to balance our overriding objective of saving lives and preserving livelihoods. It is important to remember that this is a global pandemic and that most countries are facing similar challenges and must resolve similar dilemmas.”
- African News Agency (ANA)
