Global Citizen
Flash Briefing: Aarto driving demerit system set for July 2022; 69% fully vaccinated UK faces potential Christmas lockdown; Davos postponed again
The Aarto system, set to be fully introduced by July 2022, will penalise drivers found guilty of traffic offences by imposing demerit points.
- The introduction of the new Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) system in the coming months will have a significant impact on anyone who drives in South Africa, with the next phase of the scheme scheduled to start in January 2022. The Aarto system, which is set to be fully introduced by July 2022, will penalise drivers and fleet operators found guilty of traffic offences or infringements by imposing demerit points that could lead to the suspension or cancellation of licences, professional driving permits or operator cards. Phase 3 of the project, set to begin in the new year, will see the Aarto come online in the remaining 144 local and metropolitan municipal areas The agency said that the project is still on track for all four phases, with the new points demerit system and driver rehabilitation programme going live on 1 July 2022.
- The UK government kept open the prospect of a Christmas lockdown as daily Covid-19 cases remained near record levels, driven by the fast-spreading Omicron variant. Ministers are considering how to respond after Boris Johnson's scientific advisers recommended bringing in tougher rules "very soon" if he wants to keep hospitalisation from escalating to thousands a day. The scale of Conservative opposition to more curbs was put into stark focus last week, when more than 100 of Johnson's MPs opposed the introduction of Covid-19 passes to gain entry to venues and large events — the biggest rebellion of his tenure. The measure was approved only because of support from the opposition Labour Party.
- The World Economic Forum (WEF) has postponed its annual meeting that had been due to take place in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos in January until mid-2022, the organisers said on Monday. As Omicron continues to drive new restrictions on travel and social interactions, Israel's government said it would place the U.S. and Canada along with eight other nations on a growing list of countries to which its citizens are barred from travelling.