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It was initially implied that certain districts, classified as ‘COVID-19 hotspots’, could remain at alert level 4 beyond the end of May, so the president’s announcement in his address last night that alert level 3 would be implemented throughout South Africa came as a relief.

Regulations are going to relax across the board. We’ll be able to buy alcohol for home consumption, exercise throughout the day, and all sectors of the economy will open with the exception of hotels, restaurants, bars, gyms, and other recreational facilities.

Regarding alcohol sales, President Ramaphosa said alcohol would be sold for home consumption “only under strict conditions, on specified days and for limited hours”, adding that announcements on this front would be made “once we have concluded discussions with the sector on the various conditions”.

Many have speculated that we will see alcohol sold on Monday through to Thursday, during limited hours, but that has not yet been confirmed.

The national curfew will also be lifted from June 1.

The tobacco ban has remained in place, sending smokers into fits of rage on social media, and, according to TimesLIVE, dividing the cabinet during the negotiations that amounted to the extension of the ban.

The issue of tobacco and alcohol sales split President Cyril Ramaphosa’s National Command Council (NCC) down the middle, igniting so much debate that a meeting to discuss the regulations lasted five hours, with no final decision taken on tobacco sales, insiders told the Sunday Times.

The final decision was a continuation of the ban. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma cited research papers (which she allegedly couldn’t produce) and the World Health Organisation’s findings as reasons for extending the ban.

As for the rest of the lockdown, here’s what you can expect from alert level 3 compared to alert level 4, per the Presidency South Africa Twitter account:

 

No ‘public gatherings’ extends to meeting up with friends and family, which is still prohibited.

More infographics from the Presidency South Africa account expand on some of the restrictions listed above:

Tshwane, Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Ethekwini, Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City, and Cape Town have been identified as ‘hotspots’. The West Coast, Overberg, and Cape Winelands district municipalities in the Western Cape, Chris Hani District in the Eastern Cape, and iLembe District in KwaZulu-Natal are also on the list.

Moneyweb reports that while most sectors will return to operations in these areas, they will be placed under “enhanced measures of surveillance, infection control, and management”.

A full team of health experts and doctors, including Cuban doctors, will be assigned to hotspots to manage the situation.

Ramaphosa emphasised that:

“Should it be necessary, any part of the country could be returned to alert levels 4 or 5 if the spread of infection is not contained despite our interventions and there is a risk of our health facilities being overwhelmed”.

A few more noteworthy rules before we carry on, via News24:

You will NOT be allowed to have your hair cut or nails done 

Ramaphosa said to ensure that the country maintains physical distancing, certain high-risk economic activities will remain prohibited, and it includes personal care services like hairdressing and beauty services…

You may be allowed to fly for business travel only 

Accommodation and domestic air travel will return for business travel only, and will be phased in on dates that will be announced, Ramaphosa said.

The country’s national borders will, however, remain closed for international travel, except for the transport of goods and repatriation of nationals.

For those in coastal areas, a leaked document seems to suggest that beaches and public parks will be open for exercise purposes, but it’s best to sit tight until we know for sure.

This is from the unconfirmed, ‘confidential draft’ that did the rounds yesterday – see point (3):

Again, this is NOT yet confirmed, and clarity was NOT provided during last night’s address by the president, so I’d wait before getting too excited.

Remember, law enforcement seems to get particularly angry when they spot someone on the beach.

In his address last night, President Ramaphosa said that the NCC is still debating certain points, and that further clarification would be provided concerning alert level 3 before June, once “discussions have been concluded”.

[sources:timeslive&news24&moneyweb]