South Africa has finally turned a page in its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Government will no longer have the power to simply impose restrictions on citizens or other provisions. President Cyril Ramaphosa has terminated the more than two-year-old National State of Disaster. He attributes this to the changing nature of the pandemic as the last Covid-19 wave was less severe.

However, some rules will remain in place for 30 days. President Ramaphosa has termed this as transitional measures saying it’s to ensure that essential public health precautions and other necessary services are not interrupted while the new regulations come into effect through a National Health Act.

The public is invited to comment on the draft health regulations until April 16.

Meanwhile, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde is celebrating the end of the National State of Disaster. He believes that this step will ensure that the state focuses on the recovery of the economy and deals with the issue of escalating joblessness.

Winde further notes that they will be closely studying the draft health regulations and will strongly oppose any efforts to sneak unnecessary measures back in.