Department of Sports, Art and Culture: Directions to prevent and combat the spread of COVID-19

This is the version of this Government Notice as it was from 11 June 2020 to 5 July 2020. Read the latest available version.
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South Africa
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Government Notice 461 of 2020
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Disaster Management Act, 2002
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Disaster Management Act, 2002

Department of Sports, Art and Culture: Directions to prevent and combat the spread of COVID-19

Government Notice 461 of 2020

  1. [Amended by Department of Sports, Art and Culture: Directions to prevent and combat the spread of COVID-19: Amendment (Government Notice 669 of 2020) on 11 June 2020]
I, Emmanuel Nkosinathi Mthethwa, Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture in terms of regulation 10(8) of the Regulations issued in terms of section 27(2) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002) and published in Government Gazette No. 43107, Government Notice No.R318 of 18 March 2020, hereby issue the Directions in the Schedule.Mr E.N. Mthethwa, MPMinister of Sport, Arts and Culture

1. Definitions

In these Directions, a word or expression bears the meaning assigned to it in the Regulations promulgated in Government Gazette No. 43107, Government Notice No.R318 of 18 March 2020 and in the Regulations promulgated in Government Gazette No. 43148, Government Notice No.398 of 25 March 2020, in terms of section 27(2) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 and unless the context otherwise indicates—"affected public entity" means a public entity under the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture whose Council’s or Board’s term of office has expired or is about to expire;"national state of disaster" means the national state of disaster declared by Government Notice No. R. 313 published in Government Gazette No. 40396 of 15 March 2020;“official” means sporting venue manager, sporting venue employee, match official journalist, television crew, radio commentator and security personnel;[definition of "official" inserted by section 2(a) of Government Notice 669 of 2020]“professional athlete” means an athlete who earns a living by competing in a sport, or receive payment for performance at international championships or related events including preparation for Olympic, a member of a training squad for a relevant sporting body;[definition of "professional athlete" inserted by section 2(a) of Government Notice 669 of 2020]“professional non-contact sport” means a sport whereby athletes or players are physically separated and under normal circumstances would not come into contact with one another during the course of an event or game;[definition of "professional non-contact sport" inserted by section 2(a) of Government Notice 669 of 2020]“sports body” means any national federation, agency, club or body, including a trust, professional league, or registered company of such a national federation, agency, club or body, involved in the administration of sport or recreation at local, provincial or national level;[definition of "sports body" inserted by section 2(a) of Government Notice 669 of 2020]“sporting venue” means a stadium, venue, sports ground, field, swimming pool and venue either enclosed or semi enclosed where matches or training may take place;[definition of "sports venue" inserted by section 2(a) of Government Notice 669 of 2020]“support staff” “means a technical official, coach, assistant coach, kit manager, physiotherapist, medical officer, driver, and physical trainer;[definition of "support staff" inserted by section 2(a) of Government Notice 669 of 2020]“the Regulations” means the Regulations published in Government Gazette No. 43258, Government Notice No. R480 of 29 April 2020 and in Government Gazette No. 43364, Government Notice No. R608 of 28 May 2020.[definition of "the Regulations" substituted by section 2(b) of Government Notice 669 of 2020]

2. Purpose

The purpose of these Directions is to—
(a)prescribe temporary measures or steps currently necessary to manage COVID-19 in order to reduce its impact in the Republic, by preventing the importation of, and minimising the local transmission of, COVID-19; and
(b)provide directions to officials of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and Councils and Boards of the affected public entities and to the extent possible, disseminate information to all affected persons, on applicable measures as set out in these Directions.
(c)extend the term of office of Boards and Councils of affected public entities; and
(d)suspend sport, arts and cultural events in order to prevent and combat the spread of COVID-19, provided that professional non-contact sport as defined in these Directions is allowed from date of publication of these Directions;[subparagraph (d) substituted by section 3(a) of Government Notice 669 of 2020]
(e)allow professional non-contact sports matches to take place in a stadium without spectators.[subparagraph (e) added by section 3(b) of Government Notice 669 of 2020]

3. Scope and application

These Directions apply to all affected public entities under the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture including, sports confederations, sports federation, clubs, professional leagues, sport bodies, and events relating thereto.[paragraph 3 substituted by section 4 of Government Notice 669 of 2020]

4. Authorisation

These Directions are issued in terms of regulation 10(8) of the Regulations.

5. Extension of term of office of councils and boards of public entities

The term of office of a Council or a Board of an affected public entity may, subject to legislation establishing such a Council or Board or regulating the appointment of members of such a Council or Board, be extended from its date of expiry until the termination of the national state of disaster, if it is impossible or impractical to reconstitute the Council or Board as a result of the lockdown necessitated by COVID-19.

6. Suspension of sporting, arts, cultural and religious events

All sporting, arts, cultural and religious events organised or held in a stadium or venue as defined in section 1 of the Safety at Sport and Recreational Events Act, 2010 (Act No. 2 of 2010) are prohibited except-
(a)religious gatherings at a place of worship whereby not more than 50 people are in attendance; and
(b)professional non-contact sporting events for the purpose of preparation for major multi-coded sport events, international championships, national championships, local leagues at club, provincial and national level excluding combat sport.
[paragraph 6 substituted by section 5 of Government Notice 669 of 2020]

6A. Resumption of non-contact sport and training

(1)Training and non-contact sport matches for professional athletes may resume in compliance with the health protocols, without any spectators.
(2)All sport bodies must within fourteen (14) days after the publication of these Directions provide the Minister, in writing, before resumption of training and matches, with the following:
(a)An operational plan; and
(b)the date of resumption of training and matches.
(3)A Sport body must keep a register, which must be archived for a period of not less than 6 months, with the following details of professional athletes, support staff and officials:
(a)Full names;
(b)residential address;
(c)cell number, telephone number or email address; and
(d)contact details of the person or persons living in the same residence as the person attending training or matches.
(4)All sport bodies must comply with Guidelines for quarantine and isolation in relation to COVID-19 exposure and infection issued by the Department of Health.
(5)Only non-contact professional sport bodies listed in Annexure A may resume matches.
(6)Only professional athletes in the sports codes listed in Annexure B may resume training.
(7)Transportation of all athletes, players, support staff must comply with the transport Directions issued by the Minister of Transport.
[paragraph 6A inserted by section 6 of Government Notice 669 of 2020]

6B. Screening and testing of players and support staff

(1)All officials including players, athletes, match officials, support staff, journalists and television crew including radio commentators must be subjected to temperature screening before they enter the sporting venue;
(2)A person with a suspected high temperature may not be allowed to enter the sporting venue;
(3)A professional athlete or a member of the support staff who tests positive may not be allowed to train or participate in any training or matches.
(4)Non-contact sport training and matches in an area declared as a hotspot is prohibited.[paragraph 6B inserted by section 6 of Government Notice 669 of 2020]

6C. Disinfection and cleaning of the sporting venue

(1)The sporting venue, dressing rooms and other facilities within the precinct of the sporting venue, must be disinfected before the initial training.
(2)For the purposes of this paragraph, a hand sanitiser to be used must have at least 70% alcohol content, or be a generic alternative, and must meet the standard prescribed by the Department of Health.
(3)A person in charge of a sporting venue must ensure that-
(a)there are sufficient quantities of hand sanitiser, based on the number of persons who access the sporting venue, at the entrance of, and in, the sporting venue, to be used by persons accessing the venue; or
(b)there are facilities for the washing of hands with water and soap.
(4)A sports body must take measures to ensure that—
(a)all surfaces and equipment are cleaned before training and before matches commence and between the training activities and matches; and
(b)all areas such as toilets, common areas, door handles, shared electronic equipment, are regularly cleaned.
(5)The sporting venue must be thoroughly cleaned prior to commencement of training or matches.[paragraph 6C inserted by section 6 of Government Notice 669 of 2020]

6D. Control measures

(1)All appropriate information material relating to COVID-19 must be displayed in a prominent place within the sporting venue.
(2)The number of personnel in the sporting venue, change room or training area at any given time, must be limited as far as is reasonably practicable.
(3)Masks, as required by the health protocols, must be worn by all personnel entering the sporting venue except professional athletes when training or participating in matches.
(4)Only individual pre-packed meals with disposable drinking bottles are allowed in the sporting venue.
(5)No person may share a water bottle with another person.
(7)All doors must remain open, where feasible, to reduce contact and ensure adequate ventilation.
(8)A dedicated isolation area for use by any individual who exhibits symptoms of COVID-19 while in training or during a match, must be identified.[paragraph 6D inserted by section 6 of Government Notice 669 of 2020]

6E. Monitoring and compliance

(1)Sports bodies must ensure that athletes, players and support staff before returning to training or playing-
(a)give written confirmation to the COVID-19 compliance officer or nominated operational personnel that—
(i)they are, to the best of their knowledge, currently free from COVID-19;
(ii)they have not had any symptoms of COVID-19 such as high temperature or fever, a new continuous cough or new unexplained shortness of breath in the 14 days immediately prior to the resumption of training or playing;
(iii)they have not been in contact with a COVID-19 confirmed or suspected case in the 14 days immediately prior to the resumption of training or playing; or
(iv)club or team medical personnel have taken all infection prevention measures with the addition of the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when reviewing patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 in the 14 days immediately prior to the resumption of training or playing.
(b)comply with the Regulations and the Directions pertaining to contact tracing.
(c)ensure compliance with minimum standards to prevent the spread of COVID-19 including the following:
(i)Pre-match medical screening;
(ii)Sporting venue readiness and sanitisation; and
(iii)Compliance with Sports bodies or international sport bodies protocols.
(2)The Department may deploy officials to monitor compliance with these Directions.[paragraph 6E inserted by section 6 of Government Notice 669 of 2020]

6F. Appointment of compliance officer

(1)Sports bodies must appoint compliance officers in writing before any resumption of training and matches to ensure compliance with these Directions in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
(2)A designated COVID-19 Compliance officer must oversee-
(a)the implementation of the operational plan referred to in subparagraph (3); and
(b)adherence to the standards of hygiene and health protocols relating to COVID-19 at sporting venues.
(3)Sports bodies must develop a plan for the phased-in return of their professional athletes and non-contact sport, prior to training and matches, which plan must correspond to Annexure C and must be retained for inspection and must contain information regarding the following:
(a)Professional athletes and support staff that are permitted to train;
(b)plans for the phased-in training of professional athletes and non-contact sport matches;
(c)health protocols that are in place to protect professional athletes, support staff and officials from COVID-19; and
(d)measures to ensure that a sporting venue meets the standards of health protocols and adequate space for professional athletes, support staff and officials and that social distancing measures are complied with.
[paragraph 6F inserted by section 6 of Government Notice 669 of 2020]

7. Commencement

These Directions come into effect on the date of publication in the Government Gazette and terminate on the date when the national state of disaster terminates.

Annexure A

Non-contact sport

Non-contact sport bodies
1. Archery
2. Athletics (only leagues for International, Major competitions or Olympics qualification)
3. Baseball SA
4. Badminton SA
5. Canoeing SA
6. Cycling SA
7. Equestrian SA (no cross-border training)
8. Golf SA
9. Gymnastics SA
10. Rowing SA
11. Sailing SA
12. Shooting SA
13. Table Tennis SA
14. Tennis SA
15. Triathlon SA
16. Volleyball SA (outdoor)
17. Softball SA
18. South African Sport Anglers and Casting Confederation
19. Snow Sport
20. Chess South Africa.
21. Cricket SA
22. Bowls SA
23. Squash South Africa
24. Jukskei
25. Pigeon Organisation
NB:1. Only athletes, support staff and officials under the age of 60 and tested for COVID-19 with no comorbidities are allowed to participate.2. Deaf Sport, Sport for the intellectually impaired and sports for the physically disabled must submit a plan and measures to be put in place before any resumption of training and matches, to the Minister.[Annexure A added by Government Notice 669 of 2020]

Annexure B

Codes allowed to train
Basketball
Fencing
Football
Handball
Hockey
Rugby (only players and support staff for local elite league)Non - contact training methodology
Figure Skating
Athletic (preparation for national championships and Olympic qualification)
Ice Hockey
Motorsport
Netball (Leagues only)
[Annexure B added by Government Notice 669 of 2020]

Annexure C

Non-contact sport matches and professional athletes training

(a)A COVID-19 ready Plan for non-contact sport matches and professional athletes training must be developed prior to the resumption of matches and training within 14 days after the publication of these Directions.
(b)The plan may reflect the manner in which the professional athletes training should be done in terms of non-contact and adherence to health protocol.
(c)The non-contact sport matches should depend on the size of the code of sport outlined in Annexure A. A more detailed written plan should be developed given the number of professional athletes, support staff and officials at the sporting venue.
(d)Testing of all professional athletes and support staff is a prerequisite for the resumption of contact - sport and professional training. All professional athletes and non-contact sport personnel must be quarantined or self-isolated in terms of the Guidelines for quarantine and isolation in relation to COVID-19 exposure and infection issued by the Department of Health
(e)The Plan must include the following:
1.The date of the resumption of non-contact sports matches and professional athletes training;
2.A timetable setting out the phased training of professional athletes, to enable appropriate measures to be taken to avoid and reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the sporting venue;
3.The full details of professional athletes camping for the duration of the training in preparation for matches as one ofthe measures to fight the spread of COVID-19;
4.The management of the register of all people involved in matches and training including amongst others—
4.1full names;
4.2residential address;
4.3cellphones, emails or telephone numbers; and
4.4contact details of a person or persons living in the same residence as the person attending training or matches.
5.The steps taken to get the sporting venue COVID-19 ready;
6.A list of support staff and officials who are 60 years or older and who are not permitted to attend training and matches and their comorbidities, if any;
7.Arrangements in respect of the following for support staff, officials, professional athletes in the sporting venue:
(a)Sanitary and social distancing measures and facilities at the entrance and exit to the sporting venue;
(b)screening facilities and systems;
(c)the attendance-record system and infrastructure;
(d)the training area for professional athletes;
(e)any designated area where the officials, support staffs and professional athletes are served for food;
(f)bathroom facilities;
(g)screening and testing facilities (for all professional athletes and support staff).
8.Professional athletes training or matches:
(a)Sports bodies must ensure that every athlete is tested for COVID -19;
(b)all equipment associated with training must be disinfected before and after use;
(c)athletes must wear masks at all times;
(d)athletes and support staff must be discouraged from spitting;
(e)massages are not allowed unless approved by the sport code doctor;
(f)water must be left at designated pick up points;
(g)rotational training of professional athletes (only five athletes per training group);
(h)tackling and close contact training drills must be discouraged; and
(i)time slot for training must be allocated for example 15 minutes for preparation, 75 minutes of small group training and 15 minutes recovery.
[Annexure C added by Government Notice 669 of 2020]
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01 April 2022 amendment not yet applied
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05 January 2021
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07 October 2020
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28 August 2020
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06 August 2020
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06 July 2020
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