What remains off-limits in lockdown level 2

While businesses in the entertainment, tourism and recreation sectors have started to open during lockdown level two, there are still certain economic and personal activities that you will be restricted or barred from doing. The Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma last Monday unpacked lockdown level two regulations, which allow several sectors of the economy to reopen.

The following activities are, however, still a no-go:

Nightclubs

While bars and restaurants will be allowed to open until 22:00, nightclubs, however, will remain closed. According to the minister, these will remain closed as observations show that young people, who may be asymptomatic or do not know that they are infected, can easily pass the virus on to older people who are more at risk of contracting the virus. On Wednesday, Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, who outlined regulations on tourism-related activities, stated that nightclubs would remain closed because of the curfew. She said because nightclubs open at night and usually stay open until the early hours of the morning, the 22:00 curfew stops business from happening. She added that observations of other countries who had opened nightclubs show the virus had spread “as fast and as energetic as the people at the nightclub”, which led to government’s decision to keep them closed.

Initiation Schools

Male and female initiation practices are prohibited for the duration of the National State of Disaster and initiation schools may not be arranged or held. This, in turn, means that prospective initiates may not attend an initiation school. In addition, a traditional surgeon or medical practitioner may not perform circumcision.

Closed borders

All borders of South Africa remain closed for international travel except for ports of entry for the following:

• Transportation of fuel, cargo and goods.
• Humanitarian operations, repatriations, evacuations, medical emergencies, the movement of staff of diplomatic and international organisations and other exceptions.

The following is also still banned:

• Passenger ships for international leisure purposes.
• Attending sporting events.
• International sports events.
• Use of public transport without a face mask.

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