Taxi Drivers Unhappy With Masks Being Dropped Despite Health Minister Joe Phaahla Removing Mandate

• Some taxi drivers who are constantly in contact with people say they would feel unsafe around passengers who are unmasked
• One driver said while wearing a mask is a personal choice, he recommends that passengers keep them on
• Earlier, Briefly News, also reported that wearing face masks while travelling via airlines in South Africa will be optional

JOHANNESBURG - Taxi drivers are amongst those who will keep their masks on voluntarily despite Minister of Health Joe Phaahla removing the mask mandate.

Some drivers who are constantly in contact with people say they would feel unsafe if passengers were not wearing masks but will not force anyone to do so.

Baragwanath taxi driver Phindile Nkabinde told News24 that the Covid-19 virus is still active and the announcement from the government is putting lives at risk. He said while wearing a mask is a personal choice, he recommends that passengers keep them on for the safety of others.

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Along with dropping the mask requirement, limits on the number of people attending public gatherings and Covid-19 checks at borders have also been scrapped.

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis welcomed the announcement and said it is great news for the country, according to EWN. He added that no more masks mean no capacity restrictions at any venues.

SA weighs in on masks

Social media users shared their encounters with taxi drivers, with most people saying they never wear masks:

@SirM_Mas said:

“I've never seen taxi operators wearing a musk now they want people to wear them.”

@babazi_ntleki commented:

“What a joke. they were packing 16 people inside a tiny space during hard lockdown.”

@deepjuggz posted:

“These ones are the last people to talk about masks, taxi drivers don’t put on a mask at all.”

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@chubbimunki11 added:

“We have more chance of being killed by their reckless driving than Covid.”

Passengers will not be forced to wear masks while on flights following health minister’s regulation change

In a related matter, Briefly News also reported wearing face masks while travelling via airlines in South Africa will be optional. This comes after Minister of Health Joe Phaahla gazetted that masks are no longer mandatory. Passengers were required to wear face masks throughout their flights except while eating and drinking throughout the pandemic.

Therefore, FlySafair’s Chief Marketing Officer Kirby Gordon said the airline would follow the government’s regulations. Speaking to Business Insider SA, Gordon said it is hard to tell how people will react to others not wearing masks since it has become a norm.

Source: Briefly News