South Africa Plans to Reopen Borders Closed Due to COVID-19

After strict regulations in response to the country’s devastating losses due to COVID-19, South Africa plans to open its borders to promote tourism. [Flickr]

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on September 16 that business and leisure travel would reopen on October 1, as the country has been steadily recovering from COVID-19. Although the country has faced over 600,000 cases thus far, the most cases in any African country, the amount of daily diagnoses, hospitalizations, and intensive care unit admissions has fallen. 

Tourism in South Africa generally peaks from November to March, when safaris and national parks become especially busy. However, lodge-owners and park rangers have become uneasy during this particular season, as the pandemic has drastically reduced tourism. Some parks  rely almost entirely on an influx of American and European tourists. As a result of the South African borders closures, attractions resorted to engaging domestic tourists and slashed their rates by 50 percent. 

Not only did this reduction in travel affect small businesses throughout the country, but the tourism industry’s hardships rippled through South Africa’s industrialized economy as a whole and the nation’s GDP shrank by 51 percent between March and June. As a result of this economic strife within South Africa, as well as resounding effects it had on the rest of the continent, pressure to lift the international travel ban has mounted. 

However, while the reopening of borders may serve the country’s economic interests, concerns remain about whether this action could cause another wave of cases in South Africa. To help prevent such an outcome, Mr. Ramaphosa notes that “entry may be denied to people from countries that have high infection rates” and that “international travelers will need to present a negative COVID-19 test that is not more than 72 hours old or face mandatory quarantine.” While opening as many institutions as possible benefits the economy, he made sure to prioritize safety measures to prevent a “resurgence of infections.” 

Compared with the rest of African, South Africa remains one of few countries to have made a comeback after its lockdown measures. While Mozambique, for instance, has continued business activities throughout the pandemic, countries such as Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, and The Seychelles have all remained closed to international travel. 
As with any country’s reopening policies, South African plans to alter course as different situations arise. Mr. Ramaphosa notes that while “it is time to remove many of the remaining restrictions on economic and social activity,” this should only be done when it is “reasonably safe to do so.”