Durban - While some experts agree with the unconditional opening of all sporting and other events, they warn the new freedom may be short-lived as public health measures may need to be reimplemented ahead of a sixth wave.
Health Minister Joe Phaahla said businesses had the right to determine regulations they were comfortable with.
If schools were happy with children continuing to wear masks, they could go ahead. He acknowledged that there would be initial confusion, but emphasised a mask is no longer an obligation. Stephen Marshall, Gold Circle marketing and events executive, said the lifting of all Covid-19 regulations would boost the Durban July.
“The fact that proof of vaccination or negative PCR tests is no longer a requirement for entry to the race course is most welcome and a great boost for the event,” he said. “The Durban July has traditionally brought the Rainbow Nation together in a spirit of goodwill and excitement.
Racegoers can look forward to a great day, with a mixture of high-quality thoroughbred horse racing, exciting fashion and contemporary music combining to ensure an incredible sporting and social experience.” Other sporting organisations are yet to announce whether or not spectators will be able to attend their games without regulations in place.
Fhatuwani Mpfuni, spokesperson for the Premier Soccer League (PSL), said the executive committee would meet to decide on whether to halt the use of mask, and allow unlimited attendance.
“No official announcement has been made at this stage. The exco will meet before the start of the new season (in August) and all changes will be announced to our spectators,” he said.
Novashni Chetty, marketing and communications manager for the Sharks rugby team, welcomed the decision to allow full attendance in the stadium. However, she noted that no official decision has been made. “As Sharks we are happy about the announcement and we are looking forward to the changes.
But the decision on the way forward will be made in due course in consultation with the SA Rugby Union,” said Chetty.
Professor Salim Abdool Karim, a clinical infectious diseases epidemiologist and specialist in public health medicine, said after recently exiting the fifth wave, the country was in low transmission.
He said those attending the Hollywoodbets Durban July on Saturday should enjoy the event without their masks, but said had it been up to him, mask wearing would have remained at indoor settings.
“We need to institute a measure that says in indoor spaces you should be vaccinated, instead of people standing at the door with sanitisers, we could do away with that, they should check that you are vaccinated.”
Karim told the Sunday Tribune that a study, which looked at different sized droplets emitted when people speak, cough or sing, revealed last week that the smallest droplets had the highest number of viruses, making them most infectious.
“He said in an outdoor setting the small droplets were pulled away by the breeze and the movement of the air, while bigger droplets landed on the floor. “Closed indoor settings with no windows present problems.
This includes shopping malls, restaurants, pubs and public transport. To prevent transmission and protect the indoor environment, we need to vaccinate.” Karim said South Africans should not be overly concerned about Omicron sub variants being discovered abroad as the country already had many of them.
“All the public health measures that have been removed are not going away forever, they are going away for now; they may be needed and brought back,” he said. “We will be using them not just for Covid-19, but for whenever the next pandemic starts.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE