Covid-19: SA Court Rules Lockdown Restrictions “Irrational”

The government was given 14 days to overhaul the regulations.

Covid-19: SA Court Rules Lockdown Restrictions “Irrational”

A South African court has found some coronavirus lockdown regulations imposed by the government "unconstitutional and invalid".

The judge picked out rules around funerals, informal workers and amount of exercise as "irrational".

The government was given 14 days to overhaul the regulations.

South Africa initially had some of the world's most restrictive lockdown measures. The country has 35,812 confirmed cases and 755 deaths.

The case was filed by the Liberty Fighters Network and the Hola Bona Renaissance Foundation.

The high court in the capital, Pretoria, ruled that the regulations were not connected to slowing the rate of infection or limiting its spread.

"Restricting the right to freedom of movement in order to limit contact with others to curtail the risks of spreading the virus is rational, but to restrict the hours of exercise to arbitrarily determined time periods is completely irrational," Judge Norman Davis was quoted as saying by the News 24 website.

 

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He also argued it was wrong to allow people to travel to attend funerals but not to earn their livelihoods by street trading, as many South Africans do.

The government said it will review the regulations but in the meantime the current lockdown regulations will apply.

South Africa has eased its lockdown restrictions and this week alcohol sales resumed following a two-month ban - but only for home consumption.

But all sales of cigarettes remain outlawed.

All gatherings, except for work, religious ceremonies and funerals, are still banned.

Travel between provinces is also prohibited, and international flights are cancelled except for those repatriating citizens.

 

 

SOURCE: BBC