President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday tightened up national
Covid-19 restrictions, including on alcohol sales and large gatherings.
The restrictions kick in from midnight, he said. Of
particular concern, he said, were large gatherings, which had the potential to
become “super-spreader events”.
“The current restrictions on the size of gatherings do not
do enough to prevent crowding. Therefore, gatherings, including religious
gatherings, may not be attended by more than 100 people for indoor events and
250 people for outdoor events,” said Ramaphosa.
The president said that alcohol sale and consumption would
also be restricted.
“The sale of alcohol from retail outlets will be permitted only between 10am and 6pm, from
Monday to Thursday. Alcohol consumption in public spaces, such as beaches and
parks, is strictly prohibited. We will not allow large numbers of people
congregating in any one place without proper controls or proper protocols being
in place,” he said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on December
14 2020 on “developments in relation to the country’s response to the
coronavirus pandemic”. During his address Ramaphosa announced that Sarah
Baartman District and the Garden Route District are now hotspots and that more
restrictions will be put into place for the rest of 2020.
Ramaphosa also announced strict rules around the use of
public parks and beaches. He said that in areas with “higher rates of
infections”, beaches and public parks will be closed for the duration of the
festive season.
“This will apply specifically to all of the Eastern Cape
and the Garden Route district of the Western Cape. In KwaZulu-Natal, beaches
and public parks will be closed on what are the busiest days of the season — on
December 16, 25, 26, 31, and on January 1 to 3,” he said.
On top of this, the nationwide curfew was extended,
starting from 11pm and ending at 4am.
“This means that non-essential establishments, including
restaurants and bars, will have to close at 10pm so that staff and patrons can
go home before the enforcement of the curfew. The curfew is meant to prevent
gatherings that go on late into the night, while enabling rest bar and taverns
to continue to operate,” he said. Times
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