Following the president’s speech last night, South Africa is on an adjusted level 3 lockdown, and we can already feel the relief from many citizens… Children started going to school this morning, which helps parents who started going to the office full-time again. Among other non-essential establishments, restaurants hope to see an increase in visitors, which obviously affects many other aspects such as income, job retainment and economic recovery.

In case you’ve missed the highlights, we’re outlining it for you too (even though many other news publishers have covered it already, but you never know…) –

Adjusted Level 3 Lockdown – What is allowed

• The worst of the third wave of the Covid-19 might be over, although cases have increased in KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape, and there is a concerning rise of infections in the Northern Cape after a period of relative stability. Hospitalisations and deaths are still worryingly high. Over the past week, cases, testing, test positivity and hospitalisations have dropped by 19%, 9%, 11% and 7%, respectively, while Covid-19-related deaths are up by 11%.
• The curfew will now start at 22:00 and end at 04:00. Non-essential establishments (restaurants, gyms and fitness centres) must close at 21:00 so that their employees can make it home before curfew.
• Social gatherings are allowed but are limited to 50 people indoors and 100 outdoors. This includes religious, social, political, and cultural gatherings. Attendance at funerals is limited to 50 people. Night vigils and after-funeral gatherings are still
• The sale of alcohol from retail outlets for off-site consumption will be permitted between 10:00 and 18:00 from Monday to Thursday. Alcohol sales for on-site consumption will be permitted as per licence conditions up to 20:00.
• Inter-provincial travel is open to all types of travellers, even
• Schools will allow breaks at a maximum of 15 minutes.
• Employers must encourage working from home where possible.
• Safety protocols like the wearing of masks, sanitisation and physical distancing must Masks are still mandatory in public places and should cover both mouths and noses.

Vaccinations

The country’s vaccination campaign has made huge strides, but we’re not out of the woods yet. Currently, 40 000 vaccines are administered every weekday, but the country aims to reach 300 000 a day, including weekends.

The president also announced that people between the ages of 18 and 34 will be eligible for vaccination from 1 September without registration – they can just pitch up at a vaccination site to receive it. This will be in addition to the age groups currently eligible, which is everyone over 35 years of age.

Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa said that “within the next two to three months, we are scheduled to receive around 31 million additional doses from Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. This supply pipeline means that there will be sufficient vaccine doses available for the rest of the year.”

Here’s a quick guide to the symptoms, types of Covid tests available, and testing stations in Sandton Central.

Keep safe, Sandton!