Political parties have welcomed the move to Covid-19 Level 2 lockdown restrictions, as announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday night.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomed the easing of restrictions but called on the president to announce an end date for the National State of Disaster.

"The only possible reason for any further restrictions would be to allow everyone over the age of 18 the chance to get vaccinated. And since the 18 to 35-year-old group have had access to the vaccine since 20 August, this deadline must now be well within our sight," said DA leader John Steenhuisen.

This would allow businesses to prepare to resume full trading.

"South Africans have made extraordinary sacrifices in order to comply with restrictions and regulations that are seldom explained or justified. The president needs to take citizens into his confidence and let them know precisely why these sacrifices must continue," he said.

Steenhuisen also called for restrictions to be adjusted based on the healthcare capacity of regions.

"Infection trends and vaccination rates differ greatly across different parts of the country, and there is no single, neat wave that applies to the entire country or even entire provinces. Coupled with this, some areas have sufficient hospital capacity to no longer warrant restrictions. It is extremely selfish to subject South Africans to more unnecessary economic hardship when the local conditions do not justify this," he said.

Curfew

Under the Level 2 lockdown, the curfew will be in place between 23:00 and 04:00. Non-essential establishments, such as restaurants, bars and fitness centres, will be required to close at 22:00.

The sale of alcohol from retail outlets for off-site consumption will be permitted between 10:00 and 18:00 from Monday to Friday. Alcohol sales for on-site consumption will be permitted as per licence conditions up to 22:00.

Good party secretary-general Brett Herron has welcomed the easing of restrictions but called on citizens to "remain vigilant and cautious" to limit the impact of the fourth wave.

"The third wave has been brutal and protracted, driven largely by the Delta variant of the coronavirus, and it is with a great sense of relief that we are seeing the infections reduce in most parts of the country," said Herron.

"The virus is transmitted by our conduct and our movement. As we approach summer, let us remain committed to containing the spread of the virus so that those industries that rely on summer trade have a hope of trading without restrictions and recovering. This will save jobs and save lives," he added.

Herron also called on all South African adults to get vaccinated.

On Sunday night, Ramaphosa said the move to Level 2 restrictions on Monday would allow more people to attend political gatherings. He said these would be restricted to a maximum of 250 people indoors and 500 people outdoors.

Municipal elections will take place on 1 November.

Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said the restrictions would allow the party's election campaign "more freedom" due to the relaxation of regulations for gatherings.

"We would like to stress the need to respect all health protocols - such as the wearing of masks and social distancing - to prevent the spread of the virus. The third wave is not yet over, and the virus remains a very real threat to the health and well-being of the people of South Africa," said Hlengwa.

The IFP's national executive committee will be meeting to issue guidelines that will inform how their structures and volunteers will campaign in the coming weeks, said Hlengwa.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said elections must be held in a free and fair environment, but the continued lockdown restrictions were "contrary to this".

The party said it had not agreed to adhere to a "restricted election environment".

"The EFF has long stopped participating in [Ramaphosa's] so-called consultation meetings because political parties are essentially invited to rubber-stamp prepared speeches from his white monopoly capital leaders," the party said in a statement.

"The EFF is opposed to Ramaphosa's continued lockdown regulations, and we will not be subjected to a locked down elections environment. We will continue to campaign optimally, and no South African will be turned away for participating in any EFF election programmes based on an unreasonable lockdown," it said.