The President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, announced the country will officially reopen borders for tourism on October 1.
South Africa’s reopening news will include both inbound and outbound tourism, allowing nationals to travel abroad and tourists to enter once again.
“We will gradually and cautiously ease restrictions on international travel… allowing travel into and out of South Africa for business, leisure and other travel with effect from the 1st of October 2020,” President Ramaphosa said.
South Africa’s airports are currently opened to international tourists from low-risk coronavirus countries.
The airports reopened on October 1, 2020 and international travelers are required to show a recent negative covid-19 test upon entry.
Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban are the only cities opening their airports to international flights.
South Africa closed its borders on March 27, 2020 and has been one of the hardest hit countries by Covid-19, recording the 8th highest amount of total cases in the world.
However, South Africa recently flattened its covid-19 curve after strict country-wide lockdowns and is now reporting lowest new case numbers since May.
South Africa sees around 17 million tourists visits per year, and reopening borders for both inbound and outbound tourism has been a major priority.
“We are ready to open our doors again to the world and invite travellers to enjoy our mountains, our beaches, our vibrant cities, and our wildlife game parks in safety and confidence,” the president said.
For travellers hoping to visit the country, a PCR testing is required. If any passenger fails to provide their negative PCR tests results, they will be required to quarantine for 14 days.
President Ramaphosa adds that all travellers will be asked to download the government’s contact tracing alert app for the duration of their stay in South Africa. All passengers, regardless if they brought their negative PCR test, will still undergo a health screening, which will include symptom checks and temperature screenings. Any symptomatic passenger will be subject to additional testing and/or quarantine.
Although the nation’s airports will open and both inbound and outbound tourism will be permitted, there will still be some restrictions in place to help minimize spread.
- Face masks will still be required in all public spaces
- A 12:00am (midnight) curfew will be in effect
- Most gathering will be allowed at 50% of a venues capacity (250 px max indoor, 500 px max outdoor)
- Alcohol sales for personal consumption will be permitted Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm
- Beaches will be open
- Wildlife game parks and other environmental tourist attractions will be open
- Hotels, restaurants, and other tourism-based businesses will be open, however they might have capacity limits, restricted hours, and/or social distancing in effect.
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