President Cyril Ramaphosa
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa has announced that his country will officially reopen borders for tourism on October 1, 2020.
According to him, borders will be re-opened for both inbound and outbound tourists.
That will allow South Africans to travel overseas and international tourists to enter South Africa 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,” according to him.
He made this known in an address on Wednesday night.
South Africa shut 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 records 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,” says Mr
Ramaphosa.
However, South Africa is not likely to reopen its borders to tourists from countries where there are surging cases of coronavirus.
Meanwhile, starting this Sunday, restrictions are expected to be eased on public gatherings, retail alcohol sale, among others.
By Melvin Tarlue