Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002)NoticesDirections relating to Norms and Standards for Religious Gatherings4. Health and Safety measures at places of worship |
| (1) | All religious leaders or persons in charge of places of worship must— |
| (a) | ensure that every person entering a place of worship wears a face mask covering the nose and mouth; |
| (b) | develop a plan for gatherings at the place of worship which incorporates measures set out in these Directions and the Regulations; and |
| (c) | develop and maintain protocols on how they will ensure that there are no more than 50 persons within the place of worship at a time. |
| (2) | Every place of worship must implement the following health and safety measures: |
| (a) | Screen every person entering the place of worship for symptoms associated with COVID-19, namely fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, or difficulty in breathing; |
| (b) | require every person to report whether they suffer from any of the following additional symptoms such as body aches. loss of smell or loss of taste, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, weakness or tiredness; and |
| (c) | require every person to immediately inform the religious leader or person in charge of the religious activity if they experience any of the symptoms referred to above while at the place of worship. |
| (3) | If a person presents with those symptoms, or advises the religious leader or person in charge of the religious activity or person of these symptoms, the person in charge of the religious activity must— |
| (a) | not permit the person to enter the place of worship; or |
| (b) | if the person is already at the place of worship, immediately isolate the person, and assist the person, to make arrangements to be transported, in a manner that does not place other persons or members of the public at risk, for a medical examination and testing; |
| (c) | assess the risk of transmission. disinfect the area and, refer those persons who may be at risk for screening and take any other appropriate measure to prevent possible transmission; |
| (d) | obtain from the person who is to be isolated. the contact details, including name, address and telephone numbers of the people they have been in contact with since entering the place of worship; and |
| (e) | a person who has tested positive of COVID-19 must immediately inform the religious leader of any religious activity he or she has participated in, 14 days prior to the positive test result. |
| (4) | A person may not enter a place of worship if they have any of the symptoms of COVID-19 referred to in paragraphs (2)(a) and (2)(b) above. |