South Africa has updated its health measures regarding mask-wearing, gathering limits, and travel restrictions . Masks remain mandatory for adults in enclosed public spaces, the Ministry of Health stated.
Authorities initially announced the lifting of the mask mandate for children in schools, before revising the directive. Students will continue to wear masks in class, but are exempt from this requirement for outdoor activities.
Different limits have been set for outdoor and indoor venues. For enclosed venues, "participation in the gathering is limited to 1,000 people or 50% of capacity, whichever is lower," the statement indicates, while also requiring proof of a negative test or vaccination against Covid-19.
These new measures come as the country faces a resurgence of Covid-19 infections , linked to the presence of two sub-variants of Omicron, named BA.4 and BA.5.
In late April, the Centre for Epidemic Innovation and Response (CERI) announced that the country was entering a new wave of the pandemic. And according to the World Health Organization (WHO) , two sub-variants are responsible, but their virulence remains to be determined .
"South African scientists who identified Omicron late last year have now reported two more sub-variants of Omicron, BA.4 and BA.5, as being responsible for a spike in cases in South Africa ," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday.
In early March, the country had experienced a 48-hour period without any Covid-19 related deaths, a first since 2020. President Cyril Ramaphosa had announced in early April the lifting of all legal restrictions related to the pandemic.
The government continues to urge residents to get vaccinated. "The only way to protect ourselves and our loved ones from the pandemic and the current rise in the number of positive cases is to get vaccinated and adhere to preventive measures at all times ," the Ministry of Health said in a statement.
South Africa is the country hardest hit by Covid-19 on the continent. Less than 45% of the adult population is fully vaccinated. Since the start of the pandemic, authorities have recorded more than 3.8 million cases and nearly 100,000 deaths.
