CAPE TOWN –South Africa has reopened its borders to international travellers as of 1 October, after six months due to the Covid-19 national lockdown.
During a briefing held on Wednesday, International Relations and Cooperation minister, Naledi Pandor, said that while the country is looking to return to a more normal situation, the reopening of borders and ports will be with a cautious approach and initially a limited number of ports of entry will open.
“Travelers that intend to visit the country will need to produce a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test not older than 72 hours from the time of departure from the country of origin,” said Pandor.
“The test must be conducted by a certified medical practitioner and must have the name and signature of the person who conducted the test,” she said.
However, the government has put together a list of high and low-risk countries based on the World Health Organisation guidelines to establish which countries are not allowed to visit South Africa.
- High-risk travelers: Those who come from countries with higher numbers of Covid-19 infections and reported deaths compared to South Africa.
- Medium risk travelers: Countries with a relatively equal number of infections and death toll to SA.
- Low-risk travelers: Countries with a lesser number of infections of Covid-19 and death toll than SA.
Here’s a list of countries banned from visiting South Africa. The list will be reviewed and updated every two weeks.
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Faroe Islands
France
French Polynesia
Georgia
Gibraltar
Greece
Guam
Guatemala
Guyana
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
India
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Jamaica
Jordan
Kosovo
Kuwait
Lebanon
Luxembourg
Maldives
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
Netherlands
Nepal
North Macedonia
Oman
Palestine
Panama
Palau
Paraguay
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Romania
Qatar
Russia
San Marino
St Marteen
Slovakia
Slovenia
Suriname
Switzerland
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks and Caicos Islands
Ukraine
United Kingdom
United States of America
US Virgin Islands
Venezuela
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