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Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
SPORTS codes that have been classified as medium as well as high risk have been sanctioned by the Cabinet to resume, with the Statutory Instrument to pave way for that to be published on Thursday.
Football and rugby are the biggest sports codes that have been on hold locally since March last year when measures were introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
In a statement sent out on Thursday, the Sports and Recreation Commission advised that Government had given the green light for the sports that have been previously deemed to be medium and high risk to resume.
“The Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) wishes to advise the public that Cabinet has, today this 16th March, 2021, authorized the resumption of sport codes previously designated as “medium and high risk”. The Attorney General’s Office is working on the Statutory Instrument to give effect to the decision of Cabinet,’’ said the SRC.
Furthermore, the SRC said national associations have been informed in writing the conditions that have to be met in order for them to be allowed to resume.
“The actual resumption of these sport activities is subject to the relevant National Sport Associations (NSA’s) being notified in writing by the Sports and Recreation Commission that they have satisfied the set criteria for resumption. The medium and high-risk sport codes shall resume only after they have demonstrated their ability to meet the set Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) and protocols for the containment of COVID-19 which were communicated on Monday, 15th March. To the extent that they have not already done so, the NSA’s and individual gyms are urged to confirm the conditions set out in that communication,’’ the SRC said.
Sport facilities, including sports clubs, with onsite restaurants, can continue to provide take-away services and may now also serve sit-in customers at 50 percent seating capacity.
The SRC will on Thursday, or as soon as the statutory instrument has been gazetted, publish those former medium and high-risk sports that can resume activity.
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Bongani Ndlovu