The Draft regulations, which will replace National State of Disaster regulations, have been gazetted. Below is how you can comment on the new Covid-19 regulations.
The National State of Disaster has been in place for nearly two years since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa.
Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has extended the disaster legislation this month. The legislation is now set to expire on 15 April 2020.
Days before gazetting the draft for new guidelines to replace the State of Disaster, Dlamini-Zuma said that lifting this legislation cannot be done in a “reckless and abrupt manner”.
Despite this government has only given the public 48 hours to comment on the draft proposals.
Good morning SA! Minister @DlaminiZuma gazetted draft Covid-19 Post National State of Disaster Regulations for public comment.
Representations or comments may be submitted online using the following link: https://t.co/qU4SPcUG6Y
Or Emailed to: Regulations@cogta.gov.za pic.twitter.com/kVijLH6mcJ— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) March 31, 2022
The new legislation is aimed at tackling a range of issues and challenges presented by the current stage of the Covid-19 pandemic.
These include masks for indoor and outdoor gatherings. Vaccine mandates in the workplace and in public spaces are also being debated.
In a statement, COGTA said: “The reason for the limited comment period is to ensure that government can end the state of disaster as soon as possible, while responsibly putting in place regulations relating to post-disaster recovery and rehabilitation as defined in the Act.”
The statement continued: “Following an assessment of public comments, the President will announce the withdrawal of the National State of Disaster.”
“However, it is imperative that the withdrawal is managed responsibly to avert a compromise of existing pandemic management tools.”
Members of the public can complete the comment form HERE or email your comments to Regulations@cogta.gov.za
You can read the draft regulations here:
