Ministers, on Tuesday, came out in support of government’s move to end the National State of Disaster amid predictions of a fifth wave of Covid-19 infections, which is expected to hit the country just before May.

On Monday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the National State of Disaster would end at midnight on Monday.

The country was kept under lockdown for 750 days, with the National State of Disaster beginning on March 15, 2020.

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma explained that the Disaster Management Act only kicked in when there was a disaster and was not implemented in anticipation of a disaster.

She said if the fifth wave was such that the pandemic became a disaster then the Disaster Management Act would kick in, bringing the return of the National State of Disaster to meet the terms of the Act.

Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla said currently there was stability as infections rates were low and health facilities were managing.

However, he said government was monitoring developments in other countries and it was receiving briefings from the Health Department which was conducting surveillance and genomic studies.

“… many scientists tell us we must not ignore what we see in other countries and in terms of the pattern of the last two years you have a three months kind of lull and then after that you get a rise again of the variant and that’s why they say towards the end of April and beginning of May the likelihood is that we’ll have a variant or it might even come earlier,” he warned.

He said government was doing its best with what it knew.

Phaahla added that government was not dismantling any of its capacities.

“The sequencing scientists are there, the national laboratory services and the various advisory committees remain in place so that when something changes government will be able to move,” he said.

While the National State of Disaster falls away, some regulations remain in place, including the wearing of masks in indoor spaces and venues running at 50% capacity.

There will be a 30-day transition period to allow for draft health regulations to be promulgated under the National Health Act.

Travellers entering South Africa will need to show proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test not older than 72 hours.

The country’s Covid-19 Vaccine Injury No-Fault Compensation Scheme will continue to operate now that the State of Disaster has lapsed.