‘Detailed plans are being worked on’, says Phaahla on reopening SA

The Department of Health is continuing its talks with the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) regarding the reopening of the country’s activities.

“The issue of opening sports, cultural activities is very top of our mind because we’re saying as the situation stabilises there must be benefits to the society in terms of economic activities, social activities and we are working on that.

“It’s one of the matters [we have raised] at our meeting with the NCCC together with other departments,” Health Minister Joe Phaahla said during a media briefing.

“We’ve made presentations which being are proposals being discussed. At the time when the president is ready, he will make the particular announcements in terms of what the decisions are,” the minister continued.

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Phaahla said government wants to ensure it is safe to reopen the country before doing so.

“There are very firm proposals in terms of working with those areas of sports, arts and culture to make sure that they can be careful, gradual and safe reopening of those activities.

“So it’s on the table… very detailed plans are being worked on.

This comes after the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) took to the streets on Thursday to demand the immediate reopening of stadiums and other sports and cultural venues.

The EFF staged a picket outside the Department of Sports, Art and Culture in Pretoria, with the red berets leader, Julius Malema arguing that the opening of stadiums would boost the economy.

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Stadiums have been closed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, although Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has since amended regulations.

According to Level 1 lockdown regulations under the Disaster Management Act, only a limited number of vaccinated spectators are allowed into stadiums.

The regulations state that 1,000 people or less for indoor and 2,000 people or less for outdoor venues are permitted at sports events.

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Phaahla, meanwhile, also indicated that government was looking at the figures of vaccinated people across the country.

“SAFA has already [allowed a few spectators back] in a few international matches, the PSL felt [2,000 spectators are] too small… rugby as well.

“But we are [having discussions] with a view [of allowing] even more substantial numbers gradually and manageably especially when you look at people who are already vaccinated to give more opportunities,” Phaahla explained.

He revealed in August last year that government had discussions regarding the compulsory vaccination of adults against Covid-19.

The minister said at the time that mandatory vaccinations would likely be aimed at workplaces, restaurants, cinemas, sport venues and gyms.

State of disaster

There has been repeated calls for President Cyril Ramaphosa to put an end to the national state of disaster.

When Dlamini-Zuma extended the state of disaster earlier this month, DA Federal Council chairperson Helen Zille said in a Twitter rant the latest extension had nothing to do with Covid-19, but rather the government’s attempt at maintaining “centralised control”.

The current state of disaster is set to expire on 15 February.

READ MORE: Continued state of disaster an ‘abuse’ of Disaster Management Act

This week, Ramaphosa said government was evaluating how best it should handle the state of disaster in a period where Covid-19 infections have tapered down.

Gauteng has already exited the fourth wave, with other provinces are on track – including the Western Cape – after having reached their peaks of the fourth wave.

The country’s curfew was ended with immediate effect on 31 December 2021.

Covid-19 fifth wave?

According to Phaahla, South Africa is likely to enter the fifth wave of Covid-19 infections in May or sooner.

Speaking on SABC News, the minister said the fifth wave could be worsened by cold weather and the flu season.   

“If there is no variant of serious concern very soon, we definitely would expect a wave somewhere around May, when winter starts. That’s when people start to congregate indoors because of the cold.

“That’s also when flu season starts. We expect possibly the middle to end of May, that’s when we expect the next wave. It might come earlier, like we saw last year,” he said.

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South Africa currently has a total of 3,579,428 cases to date, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).

114 Covid related deaths were also reported bringing the total to 94,063.

Nearly 30 million vaccines having been administered across the country as of 22 January.

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Compiled by Molefe Seeletsa