President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the resumption of more sectors in South Africa. The nation entered lockdown level 3 on 1 June and it seems it will continue further, as Ramaphosa announce eased restrictions for more sectors.
Additional sectors such as sit-down restaurants (with limited capacity), cinemas, hairdressers, theatres, canons will be allowed to operate. These additional sectors of the economy will help pick up what’s left of the South Africas economy.
Ramaphosa announced that contact sports will be allowed to continue to use the facilities for training provided that lockdown regulations are followed.
In the coming few days, all sectors allowed to resume as well as clarity on the lifting of the restrictions will be communicated.
Sit-down restaurants have not been benefiting since the beginning of the lockdown in South Africa. Deliveries and pick-ups didn’t do any good, and ENCA spoke to Grace Harding who represents the Restaurant Collective group, and she said:
“We’ve created good training protocols, we’ve created a register certificate, how to test staff, we’ve collaborated with incredible staff who are building an app for free so that there can be efficient track and trace,” Harding said.
“We haven’t received specific direction, we’ve really taken direction from the rest of the world and using a little bit of common sense on social distancing and controlling who enters the restaurant.”
Meanwhile, the DA released a statement saying the President of South Africa is a little too late to open more sectors now.
‘It is unclear at which level of the lockdown we now find ourselves – not that it makes much difference, as the lockdown is now de facto ended. But this ending comes too late to save thousands of businesses and millions of jobs.’
‘The president’s words of commiseration for all the industries and businesses that haven’t been able to operate and whose employees have earned no salary these past 80 days ring hollow indeed, as it is his government’s irrational lockdown that has caused this misery.’
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