Will stadiums be open in March? Health minister Joe Phaahla hints at gradual relaxation

Health minister Joe Phaahla has hinted that the government is considering a gradual relaxation of lockdown regulations and opening of stadiums now that the state of disaster is drawing to a close. 

This week, co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma extended the state of disaster for another month. 

Her department said it decided on a “final” extension after a cabinet meeting in which it determined the extent to which the management of the Covid-19 pandemic required the implementation of the national state of disaster. 

“After noting that some of the key departments dealing with Covid-19 had not yet concluded their analysis, cabinet approved the final extension of the national state of disaster on March 15,” it said.

Speaking to SABC News, Phaahla said the government was in discussions with scientists to find ways to ease restrictions while still protecting people from Covid-19 amid the possibility of another wave of infections.

He said the easing of restrictions would happen gradually to allow the economy to recover.

“Many other countries have gone that route of gradualism, but the fact that we need to get moving that’s definitely the case,” said Phaahla.

“I mean we can’t keep on for much longer without any football, rugby, music festivals and so on, but a gradual kind of relaxation with more activity is on the cards. So, we just need to find the mechanism.”

Phaahla also told the Sunday Times people will have to carry on wearing masks, sanitising, social distancing and limiting the size of gatherings.

He said the health ministry is trying to find a way of enforcing regulations to avoid overwhelming health facilities, as well as a legal framework that supports them without the Disaster Management Act.

“We need to find a formula which says it is still in your best interest, in certain conditions, to at least have your mask on. And hand hygiene is important, not only for Covid-19. As long as we have circulation of the virus, especially indoors, we are going to have to continue [social distancing],” said Phaahla.

“Even if you have 1% of seriously ill people when you have 200,000 infections a day, it’s a big number and can overwhelm health facilities and become a challenge ... So we are trying to find the correct combination and legal framework without the Disaster Management Act,” he added.

Echoing Phaahla’s statement, epidemiologist Prof Salim Abdool Karim told Jacaranda FM SA now has “room for flexibility” to balance the virus with the needs of the economy.

“We don’t know what the next wave or variant will look like. The virus is changing and we need to adapt to it. We need to balance it with the needs of the economy. We now have room for flexibility,” said Abdool Karim. 

He said the country could allow lighter regulations if more people get vaccinated. 

“If we were highly vaccinated, we could allow some lighter regulations,” he said.