Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has announced that government is starting to ease measures incrementally in the run-up to the end of the lockdown on April 30.
But things won’t be back to normal after the lockdown, she warned.
She said some measures would remain in place after the lockdown in line with the declaration of the state of disaster to curb the spread of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
In the next weeks, ministers in various portfolios will be announcing amendments to regulations in an effort to phase out of the lockdown, which was imposed by President Cyril Ramaphosa on March 27.
“When we do stop the lockdown, we cannot do it abruptly. There are measures that will remain beyond the lockdown. If you remember there were measures in place before the lockdown. It doesn’t mean that after the lockdown everything will go back to normal.
This comes as pressure mounted on government to relax some regulations to ensure that the economy doesn’t collapse. Lobby groups in the liquor, tobacco and food industry have been pressing government to allow them to trade under restricted conditions.
Dlamini Zuma reiterated that the total ban on the sale of alcohol and cigarettes remained in place. Take-away food was also prohibited.
She said all the mines that supply Eskom will continue to operate and refineries supply petrol.
Some of the amendments include that goods that have been at sea for a long time would no longer be sanitized at ports.
“In the amendments, we are stressing the issue the prohibition of transportation of liquor. The alcohol that is allowed to be transported is the one that is used for our sanitizers. Liquor that we drink is not allowed to be transported, in the same way it is not allowed to be sold.”
