Rules for initiation schools, old age homes, public transport fall away: Ramaphosa

The Covid-19 regulations which were in place in schools, initiation schools, old age homes and on public transport fall away as of Tuesday. 

This and other measures come into place after President Cyril Ramaphosa's announcement on Monday that the country's national state of disaster had ended.

After listing the regulations which do remain in place, at least for the next 30 days, including  mask wearing, limitations on numbers of people permitted to gather and the R350 social relief grant, Ramaphosa said: “All other disaster regulations will fall away at midnight tonight.”

These include “regulations on isolation of people, on schools and access to old age homes, on public transport, on initiation practices, on cargo transportation, and on criminalisation of non-adherence to these rules,” Ramaphosa said. 

Rules enforced on public transport since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic included keeping the windows open to ensure sufficient ventilation in the vehicle and to reduce the chances of getting the virus.

Taxis had to be disinfected and passengers had  to wear masks. At one point, taxis were not allowed to operate at full capacity. 

When it comes to old age homes, in a bid to save the lives of the elderly, many had shut their doors to the outside world at the start of the pandemic, leading to many senior citizens being in isolation.

When it came to initiation schools, traditional leaders were subjected to a stop-start on practices as the country altered regulations according to the particular alert levels in place.  Ramaphosa's announcement comes in time for the winter season when most initiation schools open for operation. 

After two years of adjusted levels, Ramaphosa announced that the coronavirus alert levels will no longer apply.