After 27 months, the last remaining lockdown restrictions in SA officially expired in June 2022 – Photo: Adobe Stock
After 27 months, the last remaining lockdown restrictions in SA officially expired in June 2022 – Photo: Adobe Stock
South Africa is nearing the conclusion of its emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic. But, according to some Cabinet members, the ending of our State of Disaster rules won’t be heralded as some sort of free-for-all.
How will the State of Disaster end?
Public Service Minister Ayanda Dlodlo has joined the likes of Joe Phaahla and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in playing down talk of a so-called ‘freedom day’ – stressing that some COVID mitigation measures will still be in place going forward. She foresees a gradual step-back from the legal framework:
- A cautious withdrawal will be dictated by the government’s risk-adjusted COVID-19 strategy.
- Minister Dlodlo has explained that vaccine uptake ‘must continue’ across South Africa.
- Once the State of Disaster ends, none-pharmaceutical interventions (masks, partial social distancing) will stay.
- This means some measures brought in during the SoD will remain after it’s removal:
“Work is afoot to cautiously withdraw the National State of Disaster in line with our risk-adjusted strategy. We cannot let our guard down yet. We need to improve our vaccination uptake to attain population immunity and continue to observe none-pharmaceutical health protocols.”
Ayandla Dlodlo
Minister Dlodlo praises Disaster Management Act
Dlodlo said this when Ministers in the Governance, State Capacity and Institutional Development (GSCID) cluster briefed the media to outline progress made in areas that the President mentioned During SONA 2022.
As she puts it, the country is now in the phase of reconstruction and recovery following the devasting impact of COVID, and with the State of Disaster on its way out, she has hailed the legal framework as a life-saver:
“The Disaster Management Act has been an essential instrument towards our successful management of the novel COVID-19 pandemic. The declaration of the national State of Disaster allowed the country to coordinate an integrated response plan to protect lives and mitigate the socioeconomic impact of the virus.”
Ayanda Dlodlo
