[imagesource: Siyabulela Duda/GCIS]

So, we’re still on advanced alert level 3, but some of the regulations from alert level 4 are back, but then you divide by load shedding stage two and add…

Yeah, it’s safe to say these are confusing, and somewhat depressing, times to live in South Africa.

Last night, in what are becoming increasingly rare evening addresses, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a number of changes to our lockdown regulations.

Today is day 109 of our national lockdown, if you’re still bothering to keep count.

I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that the booze sales ban is back (goodbye, many wineries, restaurants, and other businesses in the industry), the curfew is back (9PM to 4AM), and South Africans are once again being treated like petulant toddlers in need of a stern talking to.

Well, all evidence points to the fact that many have been flouting regulations for weeks (if not months), but whilst Ramaphosa and the National Coronavirus Command Centre (NCCC) might not trust us, what has our current government done over the past, say, decade, to earn our trust?

We spent three months under one of the world’s strictest lockdowns, and yet there are still so many hospitals and healthcare facilities across the country that don’t even have basic PPE, let alone the infrastructure required to provide adequate care to the surge in COVID-19 cases.

Or, put another way:

The cognitive disconnect of our politicians is staggering. Ignoring rampant corruption, GBV etc. There’s an obsession with cigarettes & alcohol while underlying structural issues are ignored for low hanging fruit, as much as I agree we need the ban for now it’s a short term fix.

— The Isolationist (@AnthonyBila) July 12, 2020

One more:

I was distracted about the alcohol ban for a moment but why didn’t @PresidencyZA say anything about loadshedding, social grant non roll-out and UIF fraud?

— Deirdre (@KlapperOlieAfro) July 12, 2020

OK, moan over.

Should we get down the business of talking about the new regulations announced last night, specifically related to face masks?

TimesLIVE has the complete rundown of laws, if that’s what you’re after, but let’s stick to our guns with regulation 5, and “wearing a mask is not an option — it’s the law”:

Regulation 5, which governs the wearing of masks, has been changed to force South Africans to wear them, including in open spaces.

“The wearing of (a) a cloth face mask, (b) a homemade item, or (c) another appropriate item, that covers the nose and mouth, is mandatory for every person when in a public place,” the regulations state.

They go further to state that you cannot use any form of public transport — in any capacity or role — without wearing a mask. You also cannot go into or be inside a building, place or premises without a mask. You cannot “be in any public open space” without a mask.

In short – don’t be one of those morons that end up going viral because they refuse to mask up.

There is one exception to the face mask-wearing rule that is important, and may help put a stop to the incessant bickering on social media.

If you are performing “vigorous exercise in a public place”, you DO NOT need to wear a mask, but you do need to keep “a distance of at least three metres from any other person”.

There have also been changes to the responsibilities of employers, who “must provide every employee with a cloth face mask, homemade item, or another appropriate item that covers the nose and mouth when in the workplace”.

It also puts similar responsibilities on the shoulders of school owners, managers and principals…

If a pupil arrives at school without a mask, they may be provided with an appropriate item, if possible, or must be “isolated and his or her parent, guardian or caregiver must be contacted to, without delay, bring [one] for the learner”.

If this isn’t possible, plans must be made to safely transport the child back home.

Finally, there has been a change to regulation 14, which deals specifically with punishment for those who fail to enforce the wearing of masks within their ambit of operation.

Regulation 14 states that when those responsible for enforcing the wearing of masks laws fail to do so — whether it be a taxi driver, company owner or school principal — they could face, on conviction, “a fine or imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months, or to both such fine and imprisonment”.

MyBroadband has a great breakdown of the new regulations, and the punishment for breaking them. Here’s the mask section:

Again, if you are arrested, do not pay an admission of guilt fine in order to avoid a court appearance later down the line.

If you do so, you have admitted guilt, and may well be issued with a criminal record.

In May, the Department of Justice and Correctional Services said that it was working on new legislation that would remove the ‘criminal record’ element from paying an admission of guilt fine, but that has not yet been passed.

The safest, and most conscientious way, of ensuring you don’t risk running afoul of the face mask regulations is to wear a face mask whenever you leave the house.

It’s not that hard, and we all need to be pulling in the same direction, because it’s only a concerted effort on the part of our citizens that will see us win the battle against this pandemic.

[sources:timeslive&mybroadband]