SA urges migrant workers to return home




Aaron Motsoaledi
Spread the love

South Africa’s Home  Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi says foreign nationals who want to return to their home countries during the Covid-19 lockdown – are at liberty to do so.

This as the South African government’s Covid-19 lockdown socio-economic relief measures primarily benefit citizens leaving them destitute.

They included the R500 billion President Cyril Ramaphosa announced to cushion citizens, business and the economy at large from the negative impact of the deadly Covid-19.

Speaking on POWER Drive on Tuesday, Motsoaledi says: “Right from the time the lockdown was announced by the president, we have never stopped anybody from going back home.”

He adds that South Africa has welcomed its citizens who were based abroad during the global regime of locking down countries to contain Covid-19.

“You are aware that South Africans who were demanding to come back home from other parts of the world. We have been allowing them in provided they will come in and be quarantined because you can’t stop any human being from coming back home.”

“Those who want to go to neighbouring countries, we make arrangements.”

As South Africa moves from level five to level four of the lockdown, some sectors of the economy will resume business from 1 May.

This means more people will return to the workplace but most of the lockdown measures remain in place.

Under the lockdown, citizens may only leave their homes to purchase groceries, medicine, visit a healthcare practitioner or go to work if their occupation is classified as an essential service.

No visiting is allowed under lockdown level four – whether visiting of relatives or friends.

Moreover, it will be mandatory for South Africans to wear face masks in public from May.

The country has recorded 4793 infections since confirming its first Coronavirus case on 5 March. It has since recorded 90 Covid-19 related deaths.

Source – powerdigital