Inter-provincial travel gets green light, more airports open - Mbalula

Under level 2, interprovincial travel is permitted for leisure and business purposes with only some restrictions. 

Buses and minibuses traveling beyond 200km are permitted to carry 70% capacity. 

Short-distance public transport of 200km or less, buses, minibuses, midibuses, e-hailing services, metered taxis, shuttle service, chauffeur-driven vehicles, and scholar transport vehicles are permitted to carry 100% of their maximum license capacity. 

“In line with our commitment to maintain maximum compliance with health protocols, a driver, owner or operator of a public transport service may not allow any member of the public not wearing a face mask to board or be conveyed in a public transport owned or operated by him or her,” Mbalula said on Tuesday.

“It is a strict requirement that at all times, the operators of public transport services should adhere to health protocols stipulated in the current regulations applicable to alert level 2.” 

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Rail operations are permitted to carry a maximum of 70% of their licensed passenger capacity. Long-distance passenger rail is also permitted to resume operations subject to the passenger capacity restriction. 

Mbalula also announced that four more airports were given the green light to resume operations. These include Mthatha Airport, Hoedspruit Airport, Phalaborwa Airport and Margate Airport.  

“Air travel is crucial to our efforts to gradually resume economic activity.  In re-opening our airspace, we have put protocols in place to determine the state of readiness for our airports to resume operations in a phased manner.” 

He added that while international travel is under consideration, it's not a decision that can be taken lightly. 

Travel abroad is permitted for work purposes. 

“We have reiterated on numerous occasions that we are mindful of the risk the sector poses in the spread of the pandemic. Despite the move the alert level 2, we must retain the same measure of vigilance in ensuring that the health protocols are strictly adhered to.”