The new COVID laws for South Africa aim to tackle the tricky topic of gatherings – Photo: Unsplash
The new COVID laws for South Africa aim to tackle the tricky topic of gatherings – Photo: Unsplash
With new ‘limited laws’ coming into effect for South Africa on Thursday, the official guidance on COVID has shifted once more. Rules for travel and mask-wearing have been amended... and the same goes for gatherings.
JUST IN: Limited Covid-19 regulations announced minutes before previous ones expirehttps://t.co/8nrTQwcCgf
— TheSouthAfrican.com (@TheSAnews) May 4, 2022
Limited Covid-19 regulations were announced by the Minister of Health minutes before the previous ones expire on Wednesday evening.
Get-togethers and guests: What you need to know…
The term now has an official definition, according to the augmented National Health Act: Any ‘planned meeting at a particular venue with OVER 100 persons’ will be classed as a gathering. So, if you invite 99 people over for a party, you’re technically problem-free…
However, many caveats still remain in place, with indoor gatherings coming under particular scrutiny. The amended mask laws ask the public to wear face coverings ‘in all enclosed public spaces’. Nonetheless, we believe that all you really need to know about gatherings in South Africa boils down to these six quotes.
What is a gathering? New COVID laws for South Africa
We now have a concrete definition of ‘a gathering’:
“There is still an imperative to provide options to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. Gatherings are more clearly defined as planned assembly or meeting at a particular venue involving more than 100 persons.”
Terms for entry into indoor AND outdoor venues revealed:
“For any indoor and outdoor gatherings, a maximum of 50% of the venue capacity may be occupied, provided that every attendee is vaccinated and can produce a valid vaccination certificate. Alternatively, attendees must produce a valid negative COVID-19 test result, no older than 72 hours prior to the date of the gathering.”
Non-Compliance, Part One – Attendance limits for INDOOR gatherings:
“If complying with this requirement is not possible for an INDOOR gathering, then attendance shall be limited to 1 000 people or 50% of the capacity, whichever is smaller.
Non-Compliance, Part Two – Attendance limits for OUTDOOR gatherings:
“Likewise, if complying with this requirement is not possible for an OUTDOOR gathering, then attendance shall be limited to 2 000 people or 50% of the capacity, whichever is smaller.”
‘Papers, please’ for venue owners
“An owner or operator of any facility where gatherings are held must display the certificate of maximum occupancy, which determines the maximum number of people a venue can hold.”
And finally… the Health Minister can giveth, and the Health Minister can taketh away
“The Minister of Health may determine that these measures, either in part of in their entirety, are no longer necessary, and can give notice of this in the Government Gazette, meaning the measures will no longer be in operation. The Minister can also determine [if any laws have been dropped] that those ‘measures must resume’.”
