Government announces lockdown curfew

Government has announced a national curfew as South Africa gets ready to move from level five to level four of the lockdown. 

The 8pm - 5am curfew comes into effect from 1 May and will apply to all South Africans except essential workers. 

South Africans will also be able to purchase hot foods again from next Friday, but they will only be allowed to do so via delivery services. 

Since March, South Africa has now lost 86 lives to the virus and 4 361 people have been infected. 

The Western Cape this week became the epicenter of the virus, with the most deaths at 30, and the most cases, at over 1400. 

The lifting of a ban on the sale of hot foods means hot food favourites such as burgers, rotisserie chicken, chips, pies and the like, will be available for purchase - but via delivery services only.

A government Covid-19 document outlining the schedule of services for sectors says no sit-ins or take-aways will be allowed on Level 4 of the lockdown. It also said alcohol would not be permitted to be sold. 

Graphic as received from GCIS

ALLOWED

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Any food product, including non-alcoholic beverages and animal food; 

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The sale of hot cooked food, only for home delivery; 

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Toilet Paper, sanitary pads, sanitary tampons, condoms; 

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Hand sanitiser, disinfectants, soap, alcohol for industrial use, household cleaning products, and personal protective equipment; 

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Products for the care of babies and toddlers; 

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Personal toiletries, including haircare, body and face care products, rollons, deodorants, dental care products; 

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Medical and hospital Supplies, medicine, equipment and personal protective equipment; 

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Fuel and lighting, including coal, wood, paraffin and gas; 

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Airtime and electricity 

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Hardware, components and supplies required by any qualified tradespersons solely for the purpose of emergency repairs at residential homes; 

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Hardware, components and supplies required by any entity engaged in the provision of essential services for any project related to the provision of water, electricity or other essential services; 

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Components for vehicles undergoing emergency repairs where such vehicle is used by a person engaged in essential services work; 

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Chemicals, packaging and ancillary products used in the production of any these products; 

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Textiles required to produce face masks, and other personal protective equipment; 

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Winter clothing, bedding and heaters; 

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Children’s clothing; 

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Stationery and educational books; 

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Tobacco products; 

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Personal ICT equipment including computers, mobile telephones and other home office equipment; 

Restaurants will also only be allowed to operate for food delivery services between 9am and 8pm, in line with the curfew times.

Picture: Unsplash

Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel said the government had tried to strike a balance between saving lives and allowing people to return to work with the new updated lockdown measures. 

“We need to work hard as South Africans to bring the risk level down, we must bring it down to Level 3, so we can allow even more activities,” he said.

Patel also clarified that the lottery services was not an essential service and should be sold during the lockdown. He said he would be instructing the service providers to clarify the matter with a public statement. 

Meanwhile, Cooperative Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, said people must sanitise product packaging when goods were delivered to them. 

“When you receive the package, sanitise the package and your hands. This means if we are getting more things delivered, we have to take extra precautions. 

“We must make sure we do take those precautions, which you must take when you go shopping as well,” she said. 

Dlamini-Zuma called on South Africans to make collective sacrifices in combating the spread of the virus. 

“This is in our hands, all of us. It is in our hands. If we want to go to Level 3 and down to the lower levels, we must all take our responsibility as citizens. 

“All of us in this country have a collective challenge and we must make the collective sacrifices. But if we don’t, we are making a big mistake,” she warned. 

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