The tourism industry has approached the Department of Health to reconsider the amendment to Adjusted Level One Lockdown regulations that requires children between the age of five and 12 to provide either a vaccination certificate or a negative PCR test in order to travel.

This comes after the Department of Health issued an overnight correction to the gazetted regulations regarding the changes to Lockdown Alert Level 1. This stipulates that all travellers (over the age of five) must now present proof of full vaccination or a negative PCR test result if they are partially vaccinated or non-vaccinated. Children under the age of five are allowed to travel without PCR test results or vaccination certificates.

Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) CEO, Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, said the sector had approached the health department to raise its concerns and to request that the regulations be amended swiftly.

“It is a concern that we have raised with the Department of Health to alert them that there is a gap between those who are under five and those who are older and that the gap needs to addressed by the health directorate and be moved from five and below to 12 and below,” said Tshivhengwa.

“I think everyone understands that this gap needs to be addressed and my hope is that it is going to be addressed fast because there are a lot of parents who want to travel with their children. They must solve it.”

The European Medicines Agency has approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine for children aged 5-12 making it the first COVID-19 vaccine granted approval in the EU. The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority had approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine for children 12 years and older.

Otto de Vries, CEO of outbound travel association, Asata, said all tourism sector stakeholders were concerned about the regulations regarding PCR tests and vaccinations for children. He said associations had directed these concerns to the health department via the TBCSA.

“They are asking people to vaccinate children in an age group that cannot be vaccinated and which is inconsistent with global best practice. The reason for this is that it is probably in preparation for when we will be able to vaccinate children under 12 but they could amend the regulations down the line to make provision for that when it happens,” he said.

Tshivhengwa said since the new regulations had dropped the requirement for a negative PCR test for fully vaccinated travellers there had been an uptick in positivity in the industry.

“There is positivity that we can now work without restrictions and as time goes by we will have more people reporting an improvement in business.”