For some it’s a relief yet for Government it’s a beginning of court cases.
Kicking in will be the selling of alcohol but only to be consumed at home from Mondays to Thursdays and only at off-consumption sites.
“Alcohol will be sold for home consumption under strict conditions on specified days and for limited hours,” says President Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa, during the nation address on Sunday.
The President also noted that there were 22,583 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the country and 429 deaths, as per updates from the government’s risk-adjusted strategy to manage the spread of Covid-19.
He said the “drastic containment measures taken” that had been imposed on the nation had slowed the rate of infection and prevented health facilities from being overwhelmed, although this had caused “great hardship” to many people.
The government’s approach to the tobacco ban is said to be motivated by the belief that smokers would require ventilators more than anyone else should they contract Covid-19.
Fair Trade Independent and Tobacco Association (FITA) has served government with legal papers over the cigarettes sale ban during the lockdown.
FITA which presents six tobacco companies claimed the sale ban during lockdown had impacted the economy.
The organization said that it decided to take the matter after engagements with government failed.
“FITA has resorted to this step as a means of last resort. Regrettably, all attempts to engage government in a meaningful manner to resolve this particular issue have proven to be unsuccessful,” it said.
The organization said that it was up to the court to decide on the way forward.
The DA has hauled the government to the Constitutional Court over the National Disaster Management Act and the powers it bestows on the minister of co-operative governance & traditional affairs.
Sectors permitted from level 3:
· Schools will reopen (Grade 7 and Grade 12)
· From 1 June, all public universities are expected to implement remote teaching and learning strategies to ensure that all students are given a fair opportunity to complete the 2020 academic year.
· Licensing and permitting services, deeds office
· Restaurants open only for food delivery
· Liquor retail within restricted hours and days
· Sale of tobacco will remain prohibited (due to the health risks associated with smoking)
· People will also be able to leave their homes to buy goods or obtain services including medical care
· People will also be able to exercise at any time during the day, provided this is not done in groups.
· Wholesale and retail trade will be fully opened, including stores, spaza shops, and informal traders. E-commerce will continue to remain open
· Clothing and textile manufacturing, at 50% capacity
· Sectors: agriculture and forestry, utilities, medical services, food production and manufacture of hygiene products, will remain fully open
· Sale of Clothing (all clothing and footwear)
· Automotive manufacturing
· Chemicals, bottling, cement and steel, machinery and equipment
· Global Business Services
· Sanral construction and maintenance
· Transnet at 100%
Movement restrictions
· The curfew on the movement of people will be lifted
· Public gatherings prohibited
· Funeral allowed (with not more than 50 people in attendance)
· Any place open to the public where cultural, sporting, entertainment, recreational, exhibitional, organisational or similar activities may take place will remain closed
Transport restrictions:
Bus services, taxi services, e-hailing, and private motor vehicles may
operate at all times of the day, with limitations on vehicle capacity and stringent hygiene requirements.
Limited passenger rail restored, with stringent hygiene conditions in place.
Limited domestic air travel, with a restriction on the number of flights per day and authorization based on the reason for travel.
