MILLIONS of citizens returned to work on Monday as the country entered lockdown level 3.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula briefed the media on the regulations specifically how they would affect airports and passengers.
Level 3 will see domestic air travel resume, but only limited to business purposes.
This, said the Minister, will also be subject to restrictions on the number of flights per day and authorisation based on the reason for travel.
The phased approach will be guided by the various considerations.
These include Port Health Capacity at the golden triangle airports – OR Tambo, Cape Town and King Shaka international airports. The initial period will also serve as a trial period to stress test the system and measures to determine how they are holding up.
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At airports, only passengers will be allowed inside the terminal buildings.
“Temperature screening will be conducted at the terminal building entrances before any passenger is allowed entry. No passengers will be allowed inside the terminal buildings without masks,” Mbalula said.
ACSA is expected to ensure effectiveness of the sanitisation process before entering the terminal buildings, which may result in the number of entrances being reduced.
“All airports will have markings on the floor for social distancing of 1.5 metres. This will be applicable at check-in counters, security checkpoints and airport lounges,” the Minister said.
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At boarding gates, boarding will be staggered and prioritised in terms of the number of passengers waiting to board. Sectional boarding will be implemented to avoid unnecessary contact inside the aircraft.
“Inside the cabin, full capacity will be allowed. It must be noted that the risk of Covid-19 infection on board a commercial passenger airliner is lower than in many other confined spaces. All our commercial aircrafts are fitted with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters. These are manufactured to the same standard as those used in hospital operating theatres and industrial clean rooms, with the same efficacy of 99.97% in removing viruses,” Mbalula said.
Catering and magazines will not be allowed in the cabin. Last rows, Mbalula said, will be reserved for isolation of suspected cases, should they be detected on board.
All aircrafts must be disinfected before entering into service and after each flight.
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