SA mask ban: Would you drop your mask?
Caxton Local Media journalists interviewed members of the community and asked them if they would drop their masks. Here is what they said.
SOUTH Africans are no longer required to wear masks as of Wednesday, June 22. Highway Mail speaks to local residents to find out what they feel about the mask mandate being lifted.
For the majority of South Africans, face masks have been required for the previous two years in order to travel, go to work, shop or enter any business location. However, prior Covid-19 requirements, including the wearing of face masks, have been suspended as a result of yesterday evening’s modifications published in the Government Gazette by South Africa’s Health Minister Joe Phaahla.
According to Phaahla’s statement, the restrictions will be lifted because fewer people are being admitted to hospitals, and there has been a decrease in Covid-19 cases being recorded.
“There is a decline in the number of reported cases. There is a decline in hospitalisations. There is a decline in the effective reproductive rate of the virus (less than 0.7%). There is a decline in the positivity rate, though the number of tests done is also low. And there is also a decline in the reported deaths,” said Phaahla.
Speaking to Upper Highway residents to get their opinion on the mask ban lifting
To get a sense of how people feel regarding the mask ban lifting, Caxton Local Media journalists interviewed members of the community and asked them if they would drop their masks.
*Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
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At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.
