South African Health Minister Joe Phaahla on Wednesday confirmed the government has repealed regulations requiring face masks, restrictions on gatherings and checks at borders, reported Reuters. The announcement comes as the country reported a decline in the number of new daily COVID-19 cases, hospitalisation and reported deaths.
Health Minister Phaahla published the latest amendments in the Government Gazette on Wednesday evening.
Until now, wearing of face masks was mandatory in indoor public spaces and on public transport. There were also limits on the size of indoor and outdoor public gatherings and international travellers entering South Africa were required o show a vaccination certificate or negative COVID test.
Travellers who did not present a vaccination certificate or negative test had to take an antigen test. If, in case, they tested positive and showed symptoms, then they were made to self-isolate for 10 days.
The mask mandate and other restrictions had originally been imposed under the authority of a national state of disaster.
South Africa experienced four severe COVID waves, but a resurgence in infections in April and May turned out to be not as bad as feared, with hospitalisations and deaths not rising dramatically unlike previous surges.
In April, the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa lifted most restrictions and announced the end of the national state of disaster.
The country has recorded the most coronavirus cases and deaths on the African continent, with over 3.9 million confirmed cases and more than 101,000 deaths. It initially struggled to secure vaccines due to limited supplies and protracted negotiations, but it is now well-supplied with doses.
Health Minister Phaala’s decision to repeal the COVID-19 measures follows a meeting of the National Coronavirus Command Council, which weighed in on whether the remaining COVID-19 regulations were still relevant.
Phaahla and the South African Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele, are expected to brief the nation at 11am on Thursday.
