Eastern Cape beaches will be closed from Wednesday until the 3 January.
This was one of a raft of measures announced on Monday night by President Cyril Ramaphosa, amid a spike in Covid19 cases in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Kwazulu Natal and Gauteng.
"We have undertaken extensive consultations on this issue so that we can find an approach that reduces the risk of large-scale transmission while limiting the negative impact on businesses in coastal areas," the President said.
"In the areas with the highest rate of infection, beaches and public parks will be closed for the duration of the festive season from the 16th of December to the 3rd of January. This will apply to all of the Eastern Cape, as well as to the Garden Route in the Western Cape."
Ramaphosa said in KwaZulu-Natal, beaches and public parks will be closed on what are traditionally the busiest days of the season.
The President also declared the Garden Route in the Western Cape, where beaches will also be closed, and the Sarah Baartman District Municipality as Covid19 hotspots, with the same additional restrictions, imposed earlier on Nelson Mandela Bay, being implemented in those areas.
These include tighter curfew times and restricting the retail sale of alcohol between Monday and Thursday.
Beaches in Kwazulu Natal will be closed on specific days over the Festive season while all other beaches in the Western Cape (excluding Garden Route) and Northern Cape will remain open.
Gatherings, including religious gatherings, must not exceed 100 people for indoor events while the number is restricted to 250 for outdoor events while all health protocols must be observed. All post-funeral gatherings or so-called "after tears parties" have been prohibited.
President Ramaphosa said festivals, live music, and live performances at beaches are prohibited.
"Beaches and parks that are open to the public will only be open between 9 am and 6 pm. The situation will be monitored daily by local authorities to ensure compliance with the regulations on gatherings and the prohibition of alcohol."
The third area of focus over this period is to prevent super-spreader events and reduce the burden on health care services due to irresponsible alcohol consumption.
As a result, the hours of the curfew will be longer, starting at 11 pm and ending at 4 am with non-essential establishments, including restaurants and bars, will have to close at 10 pm so that staff and patrons can get home before the enforcement of the curfew.
"We should all remember that the hours of curfew also apply to Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve," Ramaphosa said.
The President said the government would also ensure stricter enforcement of existing alert level 1 restrictions throughout the country during the festive season and beyond.
"This includes the requirement that drivers and operators of any form of public transport must ensure that all passengers wear a mask.
The managers or owners of buildings, places or premises, including retail stores, shopping centres, and government buildings, are obliged by law to ensure that all customers who enter their facilities or buildings wear a mask."
President Ramaphosa said these festive season restrictions will be reviewed in early January based on the state of the pandemic across the country.
