A better ‘new normal’ looms – amended Covid-19 regs

SA’s State of Disaster will probably be lifted late next month, one can confidently predict, now that the amended lockdown regulations which pick up the slack are ready. It’ll come as a huge relief for a broad swathe of society, signalling as it does a long overdue and more appropriate response to Covid-19; its latest manifestation is at best mildly inconvenient unless, of course, you’re elderly or already have a health condition. However, don’t rip off that mask or shelve the sanitiser just yet; you’ll still be legally bound to follow a set of pandemic-controlling protocols, which remain enforceable with punitive measures in place. This is appropriate, given there’s always a chance you’ll be a silent carrier and come in contact with a vulnerable person. Here Jan Vermeulen, editor at MyBroadband outlines just what the amended regulations are. For live sports fans who can produce vaccine certificates, it’s great news … if you can get your limited stadium tickets early enough! – Chris Bateman

Here are South Africa’s proposed lockdown regulations to replace the state of disaster

By Jan Vermeulen

Health minister Dr Joe Phaahla has published an amendment to South Africa’s Regulations Relating to the Surveillance and Control of Notifiable Medical Conditions.

These amendments pave the way for ending the national state of disaster while keeping certain pandemic management protocols in place.

Medical professionals, civil society and opposition parties have called for South Africa’s state of disaster to end.

Researchers, doctors and academics like Wits University’s Professor Shabir Madhi have argued South Africa now likely has widespread immunity to the coronavirus.

This is thanks to a combination of vaccination and infection. A recent study found a high prevalence of hybrid immunity in South Africa, vaccinated people who have also been infected with the virus.

South Africa’s new resilience against the coronavirus came at the cost of 300,000 lives, according to South African Medical Research Council excess mortality estimates.

While medical researchers and doctors have advocated for the end of the state of disaster, they also said the government should keep measures such as mask mandates for large gatherings, and that vaccine mandates for specific sectors should be considered.

To unwind the national state of disaster, President Cyril Ramaphosa has stated it is necessary to introduce regulations to ensure necessary protocols remain in place.

Among the amended regulations published on Wednesday were:

  • Mandatory medical examinations, isolation and treatments for people with notifiable medical conditions, with an option to self-isolate for those with Internet access.
  • Mandatory face masks for indoor gatherings and public transport.
  • One-metre physical distancing.
  • Employers to encourage work-from-home where necessary and restrict face-to-face meetings.
  • Travellers entering and leaving South Africa must have a vaccine certificate, or a negative PCR test no older than 72 hours.
  • Hand sanitisers must be placed at all entrances of public places to promote hand hygiene.
  • Restrictions on funeral attendance – during Covid–19, funerals are limited to 100 people.
  • Restrictions on night vigils and after-funeral gatherings – banned during Covid–19.
  • Restrictions on attendance at other gatherings – 50% of venue capacity, if attendees have vaccine certificates. Without proof of vaccination, attendance is limited to 1,000 indoors and 2,000 outdoors.

The regulations allow further restrictions to be implemented through other government departments.

The Department of Health may give advice relating to curfews, a national lockdown, sports, economic activity, public transportation, religious and cultural practices, and the sale of alcohol.

Once the regulations are approved, the Department of Health said it would be implemented without being tabled in parliament, since it is subordinate legislation already delegated to the minister.

Public comments on the proposed amendments are open until 15 April 2022.

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Comment from BizNews community member Beth Tomlinson:

Dear Alec,

I have enjoyed reading BizNews and the open discussion on all that is going on with covid restrictions and the unscientific decisions made by governments all over the world.

I just want to share my disappointment with the latest article by the editor: ‘A better ‘new normal’ looms – amended Covid-19 regs’

I am appalled that the editor is happy with regulations that have no basis in science, have a devastating effect on the economy, and have no end in sight. When restrictions and vaccine requirements are being lifted all over the world, South Africa decides to make them permanent!  And our business community applauds??

85% of South Africans are immune to the virus (per Professor Madhi) and most of this is natural immunity so it will last. Most of my family got Omicron during December. Some were vaccinated, and some were not, but the symptoms were the same regardless of vaccination status. So why do we now give employers the right to insist on employees getting vaccinated, and why do we insist on vaccination at large events, when everyone knows it makes no difference! Why do we insist on offices running at maximum 50% capacity for the foreseeable future, meaning that our government departments can continue to provide just a small part of the service they are meant to provide.

I could go on, but all this to say that I do not understand on what basis your editor thinks this is a good thing???

I look forward to hearing from you.


Comment from BizNews community member Yvette Yssel:

I am appalled to read in BusinessTech (https://businesstech.co.za/news/business/568508/updated-covid-rules-for-businesses-and-workers-in-south-africa-including-mandatory-vaccinations/) that the Department of Employment and Labour is set to write mandatory vaccination and other nonsensical “mitigations” into law. With most South Africans now have long lasting broad immunity from natural infection, why are the mandatory vaccinators so insistent? Which actors are driving the campaign and why?

These people do not realize (or maybe that’s the intent) that they are opening a door to Pharma tyranny in the workplace, where the employer will be able to mandate respiratory virus vaccinations. Covid and Flu for now (since Omicron their IFR is similar), but many more vaccines are in the works (TB, RSV). All this for vaccines that DO NOT stop infection and transmission and have no long term data to support safety?

Medical treatment/prophylaxis should NEVER be in the hands of Government/Employers. Medical matters should be left with doctors and their patients. The workplace should insist that sick people stay home and improve ventilation at their premises. Even masks are set to stay in indoor spaces. Employees are now faced with an indefinite extension of the 8 hour long masked day even though the few RCT’s we have show that public masking does not have an effect on airborne disease spread.

The reality is that mandatory vaccination will lead to repeated forced vaccination of younger people (the employed) who are not at risk of severe disease to “protect” those who have reached retirement age and are free to protect themselves. Young employees will be at risk of immediate side effects (fever, headaches, clotting, menstrual disturbances, myocarditis) as well as unknown long term side effects (auto-immunity, cancer, fertility). Young people have decades of good health to look forward to and we shouldn’t be interfering in their lives in this manner.

We seem to have learnt nothing from Opioids, Swine Flu vaccine and the recent Zantac withdrawals. Keep politicians out of medicine!

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