COVID Alert SA Archives - Relocation Africa

Government has updated its Covid-19 rules relating to travel and isolation under South Africa’s level 1 lockdown.

In a series of gazettes published last week, the Department of Health and Department and Transport outlined updated rules for both entering and leaving the country, the tests required, as well as the quarantine periods.

Government has also extended the validity date for driver’s licences which expired during the lockdown period.

You can find the key changes outlined in more detail below.

Persons exiting the country

A person exiting the country through a point of entry must be subjected to screening, including the completion of a traveller health questionnaire;

A person who, during screening, is found to have had exposure to Covid-19 or is presenting with any signs and symptoms of Covid-19 must be subjected to a medical examination which may include testing;

Based on the outcome of this medical examination, the director-general of Health or any delegated person may make a decision on whether or not the person is allowed to exit the country;

Persons found to have contracted Covid-19 pursuant to testing, must be placed under mandatory isolation or hospitalisation;

Persons placed under isolation may be permitted to self -isolate at their own private residence if they comply with the prescribed criteria.

Persons entering the country

A person entering the republic must be subjected to screening on arrival at the point of entry, including the completion of a traveller health questionnaire;

A person who, during screening, is found to have had exposure to Covid-19 or is presenting with any signs and symptoms of Covid-19, must be subjected to a medical examination which may include testing and isolation;

A person entering the republic must on arrival at the point of entry, provide to the port health official the following – a completed Traveller Health Questionnaire; and a valid negative Covid-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test result, not older than 72 hours from the date of departure from the country of origin;

A person who is not in possession of a valid negative Covid-19 PCR test result will be subjected to antigen testing at the point of entry and may be subjected to quarantine at an approved facility at his or her own cost;

A person who is subjected to quarantine must, on arrival at the point of entry, complete and sign a written declaration committing to adhere to quarantine requirements; (b) will be liable for all costs related to testing, quarantine and transportation;

Persons entering the Republic are encouraged to install the Covid Alert SA mobile application on their mobile phones;

A person who experiences any signs and symptoms consistent with Covid-19 whilst in the country, must seek medical attention and inform the medical practitioner of his or her travel history;

The gazette makes special dispensation for airline crew, daily commuters, freight operators, medical staff and children.

Cost of quarantine

The gazette states that a traveller entering the republic or his or her employer must bear the cost of quarantine and isolation.

The employer must bear the costs of the quarantine and isolation of airline crew and cross border freight operators;

Employers who wish to have their employees in quarantine or isolation facilities of the employers’ choice must pay all costs incurred;

Monitoring and testing of travellers in quarantine or isolation facilities remain the responsibility of the traveller or employer.

Self-quarantine and self-isolation

The 10-day period of quarantine and isolation applies to persons:

Entering the country without valid (health documentation) who are subjected to quarantine;

Who upon entry, have been screened and found to be Covid-19 positive or suspected of having contracted Covid-19;

Who are inside the Republic and have to be quarantined, either because they are suspected of having contracted Covid-19 or of having been in contact with a person who is a carrier of Covid-19, or isolated because they are confirmed as clinical or laboratory cases having contracted Covid.

Repeat testing

Repeat testing is not required in order for a person to de-isolate. A close contact who tests positive (symptomatic or asymptomatic) must be managed as a confirmed Covid-19 case.

If testing cannot be conducted, a symptomatic close contact must self -isolate and be managed as a probable Covid-19 case.

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].

On Wednesday, president Cyril Ramaphosa urged South Africans to use government’s new coronavirus contact-tracing app, which was launched earlier this month.

“I want to make a call this evening to everyone who has a smartphone in South Africa to download the COVID Alert mobile app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store,” Ramaphosa said during his address to the nation. The app has been zero-rated by mobile networks, so you can download it without any data costs.”

Using Bluetooth technology, the app will alert any user if they have been in close contact with any other user who has tested positive for coronavirus in the past 14 days.
“Contact tracing is an important preventative measure to protect yourself and your close family and friends,” Ramaphosa said, as he announced details about South Africa’s progress to Level 1 on midnight, Sunday.

This will include the opening up of borders to foreign tourists from countries that don’t have high infection rates. These travellers will be asked to install the COVID Alert South Africa mobile app on arrival, Ramaphosa said.

The COVID Alert SA app is available for Android devices on the Google Play store and on the Apple App Store for iPhones, with the South African National Department of Health as publisher.

The small app, 2.1MB on Android phones and 5MB on iOS, promises to anonymously keep track of your contact with everyone else using it over a two-week period, the upper end of the incubation period for Sars-CoV-2. If a user discloses they have tested positive for the coronavirus, everyone in that contact list is notified.

The app uses the exposure notification framework created by Google and Apple for use during the pandemic. “By downloading and using the COVID Alert SA app, you become a part of a powerful digital network of app users who choose to work together for the benefit of everyone in the app community while all enjoying complete privacy and anonymity,” the department of health promises.

“App users understand their exposure to Covid-19 and help others to do the same. We can all work together to curb the spread of Covid-19 and, ultimately, to save lives.” The app is free, and uses only a small amount of data every day to check in with a central server. But it requires the power-hungry Bluetooth radio to be turned on, which makes for some battery drain.

COVID Alert SA does not record your name or location. Instead, every device is assigned a unique code. Using Bluetooth, it shares that code with other phones running the app when the come into range, and records the signal strength (a rough proxy for how close another person is) and date for any such contact.

The range of Bluetooth transmission can vary wildly depending on a range of factors, but is around 10 metres as a rule of thumb. Anyone who tests positive for the coronavirus must type in a PIN number the department of health sends by SMS as part of the notification system for Covid-19 tests.

That triggers alerts other people who were in close proximity, without disclosing the identity of the infected person or any other details. In such a case “[a]pp users are guided as to what to do next to optimise their wellbeing and prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus to others,” says the department of health.

The usefulness of the app will depend on how many people install it, whether they keep their Bluetooth radios turned on, and how quickly they report positive test results.

To track the virus’ stats, visit the Bing live COVID map here.

Let’s all work together to flatten the curve of COVID in South Africa.

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].

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