Good move or ‘We’ve been doing it’? — Here’s what Mzansi thinks of new Covid-19 isolation and school rules

South Africans took to social media on Monday evening to weigh in on the government announcing several changes to the rules governing Covid-19 isolation and schooling during the pandemic.

The presidency said SA is officially out of the fourth wave of infections and announced five major adjustments to regulations. 

These are:

• Those who test positive with no symptoms do not have to isolate;
• If you test positive with symptoms, the isolation period has been reduced from 10 to seven days;
• Contacts do not have to isolate unless they develop symptoms;
• Primary, secondary and special schools will return to daily attendance; and
• The regulatory provision for social distancing of 1m for pupils in schools has been removed.

The changes come after a special cabinet meeting on Monday and meetings with the National Coronavirus Command Council and President’s Co-ordinating Council .

“The rationale for these amendments is informed by the proportion of people with immunity to Covid-19 which has risen substantially, exceeding 60-80% in several sero-surveys,” the presidency said.

It added that the ministers of health and basic education will soon provide further details on these changes.

Many took to social media to weigh in on the ammendments, saying more restrictions should now be lifted, including on how many spectators can attend live sport events.