Ramaphosa keeps state of disaster but eases Covid rules to placate critics

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday dashed hopes of an immediate end to the national state of disaster but moved to appease critics by easing coronavirus restrictions that have dampened key economic sectors, scrapping testing requirements for vaccinated visitors to SA and loosening rules on the size of sporting and cultural events.

In a push to promote local vaccine uptake, which has flagged sharply among younger people, the government has agreed events that require patrons to provide proof of immunisation or negative test results will be allowed to run up to 50% of capacity, opening the way for the resumption of large sporting, religious and cultural events.

While 48% of adults have been vaccinated, only 35% of people aged between 18 and 35 years have had at least one jab.

In a nod to the evolving science on transmission, Ramaphosa said the requirement to wear masks outdoors has been scrapped, but they would still be required in public indoor settings such as schools, taxis, offices and shops.

“Further easing of the remaining restrictions will require that we increase the rate of vaccination among South Africans,” he said in a televised address to the nation.

The national state of disaster would only end once new health regulations that provide an alternative to those promulgated in terms of the Disaster Management Act have been finalised, he said, resisting pressure from opposition parties and some top scientists, including Shabir Madhi, the dean of the Wits faculty of health sciences, who has argued that it serves no purpose. Western Cape premier Alan Winde, who has for months been calling for an end to the state of disaster, last week condemned the latest extension.

The government declared a state of disaster on March 15 2020, using the powers set out in the Disaster Management Act to impose sweeping regulations controlling the movement of people and the size of gatherings, impose curfews and limits on business operating hours, and introduce periodic bans on the sale of alcohol and tobacco.

These rules have been repeatedly tightened and eased during four successive waves of coronavirus infections, and while they have helped protect the health system, they have had a devastating impact on the economy. More than 2-million jobs were lost during the pandemic, said Ramaphosa.

As SA emerges from the Omicron-driven wave, the government has come under pressure to lift the state of disaster and allow the economy to fully reopen. SA has been under adjusted lockdown level 1 restrictions since October 2021, and the latest rules will come into effect on Wednesday. The maximum size of funerals has been doubled to 200 people, but post-funeral gatherings and night vigils remain banned.

Ramaphosa fuelled speculation about an imminent end to the state of disaster during his state of the nation address on February 10, saying at the time that the government plans to lift it as soon as it has devised an alternative legislative framework for managing the pandemic and any future health emergency.

The government failed to meet a widely anticipated March 15 deadline for doing so, and last week extended it to April 15. Since then it has published draft health regulations for public comment, but observers say it is unlikely to complete consultation before April 15.

It also needs to finalise regulations to the Social Assistance Act to continue paying the social relief of distress grant.

The seven-day rolling average of new recorded cases was 1,387 on March 20, a fraction of the December 17 peak of 23,437, according to Our World in Data. Hospital admissions stood at 2,003 on Tuesday.

Update: March 22 2022
This story has been updated throughout.

kahnt@businesslive.co.za