The Federated Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (Fedhasa) has welcomed the news that South Africa will remain on Level 1.
The organisation, which has been vocal about the travel restrictions imposed on South Africa, said restrictions would have exacerbated the damage caused by the UK’s Red Listing, which has now been lifted.
Rosemary Anderson, National Chair FEDHASA, said it was good news for the tourism and hospitality industry. She said it allowed them to maximise the festive season trading albeit at the height of a fourth wave, a challenging economic environment and the negative ramifications of the recent Omicron travel bans.
“This has been a good week for our tourism and hospitality sector. Not only will the removal of the UK red listing be the foundation on which we can rebuild, we are relieved that additional restrictions have not been imposed locally which would have hampered domestic travel during what is one of our peak travel periods.
“We hope that the impact of Omicron on hospitalisation and deaths remains low so that our economy can continue to remain open and keep jobs and livelihoods intact," she said.
FEDHASA has added its voice to Health Minister Joe Phaahla’s appeal to South Africans to get vaccinated as a matter of priority, so that we can keep hospitalisation rates low and keep pressure off our healthcare system, one of the reasons for imposing restrictions.
“We must do everything in our power to keep our economy as open as possible. It’s up to every South African to protect their fellow citizens using the tools we have at our disposal beyond additional restrictions, such as socialising outside, consistently practising the non-pharmaceutical protocols and getting vaccinated. We know these measures work and will make every difference to keeping restrictions at bay,” Anderson added