SARS Closes All Branches in Response to Covid-19, a Temporary Measure
- The South African Revenue Service has decided to temporarily close all of its branches in the face of rising Covid-19 infections
- The tax collector will still allow members of the public to book virtual meetings but physical visits to the branches will not be possible
- Many in South Africa fear that the rising infections will result in tighter restrictions being imposed
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The South African Revenue Service has decided to close all branches as a temporary measure as Covid-19 infections continue to rise.
SARS will continue to function as normal but no physical visits can be made to the branches to reduce the chance of the virus spreading.
Source: Facebook
The decision was made to avoid the high numbers of people visiting SARS during the first and last weeks of the filing season according to eNCA.
AllAfrica reported that members of the public will still be able to book virtual meetings on the revenue collector's website.
This would also present an opportunity for SARS to show that their digital platforms can meet the demand.
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Third wave trends amid fears of tighter restrictions
Thursday night ushered in the hashtag #3rdWave on the country's trends list as people got the conversation going amid speculation of tighter restrictions, or worse, a higher lockdown level in Gauteng.
This was despite the earlier assertions made by Gauteng Premier David Makhura during his budget vote speech at the Provincial Legislature in Johannesburg. Makhura, during his briefing of the Provincial Command Council, made it known that the province cannot afford a level 5 lockdown, dismissing the possibility.
Level 5 lockdown would be devastating
Gauteng Premier David Makhura has given an update on Gauteng's fight against the coronavirus pandemic during his budget vote speech at the provincial legislature in Johannesburg on Thursday.
Makhura declared that the government was closely monitoring the situation as the number of positive coronavirus cases in the province reaches unprecedented proportions.
The Premier ruled out the possibility that a higher level of lockdown would be implementing in the province. In the last few days, there have been increasing calls for a more drastic approach towards flattening the curve in the country's economic hub.
"The various centres of the economy are recovering. So, we can't disrupt that recovery. We cannot afford [it] ... we can't shut down the economy," Makhura explained.
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Source: Briefly News
