Mask Regulation Update: Children Under the Age of 6 Don’t Need to Wear a Mask
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- Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma says that children under the age of six are not legally required to wear a mask
- The change in mask regulations for children comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa's address on Tuesday, 15 June
- Health expert Dr Fundile Nyati advises that children with pre-existing conditions to still wear masks despite new regulation
In what seems to be a turn of events, the stipulation that children under the age of six are mandated to wear a mask in public spaces in South Africa has changed.
Business Insider reports the new rules were published by the office of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) headed by minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. The minister, however, did not state what prompted the change in the rules regarding children.
Source: Getty Images
This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa stated in his address on Tuesday, 15 June, that all individuals were mandated to wears masks changing the rule regarding children and masks yet again.
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In late December of 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that wearing masks was compulsory and failing to do so would be a criminal offence, as reported by IOL.
This rule was met with criticism from Afriforum who then wrote a letter to Dlamni-Zuma asking mask regulations be amended to align with the fact children under the age of 10 have no criminal capacity.
The mask mandate was later amended under Level 2 rules which stated, “The wearing of a mask is mandatory for every person when in a public space excluding a child under the age of six years,” as reported by Business Insider.
The government has been unclear on its stance regarding children and wearing masks, however, Health Expert and CEO of Proactive Health Solutions Dr Fundile Nyati said in an interview with ENCa, “children with pre-existing conditions should wear masks,” despite the regulations.
EFF unimpressed by Alert Level 3 rules
In a recent report by Briefly News, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) expressed their opinion on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s choice to put South Africa back into Level 3 lockdown.
Ramaphosa spoke about the new limitations on Tuesday, 15 June, with the highlights being the change of curfew to between 10pm and 4am, restricting the number of people at gatherings to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors.
The EFF expressed disdain relating to the limit on gatherings, primarily against the limit of political gatherings as the local government elections are expected to commence in October 2021.
The limitations may impact the political campaign of the EFF in a negative way. In spite of lockdown, the EFF confirmed that they will not halt their political activity on route to the elections, according to The South African.
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Source: Briefly News
