The Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has issued amended regulations (dated yesterday, December 17) clarifying that accommodation establishments – including hotels, lodges, B&Bs, timeshare facilities, resorts and guesthouses – are allowed to operate at full capacity of the available rooms for accommodation, with patrons observing a distance of at least one and a half metres from each other when in common spaces.
This follows a meeting yesterday between Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) CEO, Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa and the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS).
There had been some confusion around the earlier gazetted regulations (dated December 15) due to what the TBCSA referred to as a “drafting anomaly”. Accommodation establishments with 100% occupancy levels over the festive season were concerned to read a particular clause under the heading ‘Substitution of regulation 69 of the regulations relating to gatherings”.
The clause stated: “Hotels, lodges, bed and breakfasts, timeshare facilities, resorts and guest houses subject to a restriction on the number of persons allowed in the hotel, lodge, bed and breakfast, timeshare facility, resort or guest house to not more than 50 percent of the available accommodation capacity, with patrons observing a distance of at least one and a half metres from each other.”
The confusion arose with the use of the word “capacity” with establishments worried that they were no longer able to operate on 100% occupancy in their rooms. The regulation, however, referred to the capacity in the common areas – poolside, reception, dining rooms and bars etc.
The amended regulations now state:
“Hotels, lodges, bed and breakfasts, timeshare facilities, resorts and guest houses allowed full capacity of the available rooms for accommodation, with patrons observing a distance of at least one and a half metres from each other when in common spaces; (ii) Conferencing, dining, entertainment and bar facilities are subject to a limitation of a maximum of 100 persons or less in case of an indoor gathering and 250 persons or less in case of an outdoor gathering and if the venue is too small to hold 100 persons
