Covid-19 in South Africa: resumption of international flights

Johannesburg Airport, South Africa.

RFI / Claire Bargelès

Text by: RFI Follow

3 min

After six months of closure to limit the spread of the coronavirus, South Africa is starting to reopen its borders.

A decision that only concerns international flights in connection with countries considered to be low risk.

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This is the first international flight to land at Johannesburg Airport in six months.

This Thursday, October 1, a Lufthansa plane from Frankfurt landed at 8:30 am.

This ends the total closure of South African air borders underway since March 27, apart from repatriation flights.

South Africa was the country in sub-Saharan Africa most affected by the coronavirus epidemic.

Authorities have recorded nearly 700,000 cases and more than 16,730 deaths.

It was also the first country on the entire continent

.

The opening of the air borders this morning is subject to certain conditions.

Access to the country is not open to nationals of 57 countries considered to be at risk.

On this list, we find for example the United States, Great Britain, Russia, France, the Netherlands or India.

And for these countries, only diplomats, people on business trips and a few other cases will be allowed.

They must have a negative Covid test.

Tourists are not allowed to travel, which is a disappointment for this industry.

Indeed, South Africa receives about 17 million tourists per year, which represents

.

Limited trade with Zimbabwe

This reopening of air borders goes hand in hand with

.

Links with Namibia, for example, resumed a few weeks ago.

Others remain partly closed, as is the case with Zimbabwe.

Only those traveling on business can cross the border.

There is a lot of trade between the two countries.

Harare imports a lot of products from South Africa.

It is therefore impossible to completely close the exchanges.

On the other hand, individuals cannot make a connection.

This remains a major handicap for the tens of thousands of Zimbabweans working in South Africa.

Normally, around 25,000 people cross the Beitbridge border post every day, the main crossing point between South Africa and Zimbabwe.

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• South Africa

• Coronavirus

• Transport

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