Tour guide and accommodation regulations

The newly detailed regulations as gazetted on August 6, was the last piece to fall in place before guides would be allowed into parks to provide tours across South Africa.

Along with these regulations came clarity surrounding overnight accommodation that is also now allowed at various facilities – as long as you stay within your home province.

According to the gazette, “no more than two persons are to occupy a room, unless the occupants are a nuclear family”.

A “nuclear family” is defined as follows: “includes other family members or caregivers living in the same household”.

Even though this would imply that a family of four could share accommodation, transport regulations regarding capacity have not yet been amended to allow, for example, a family of four travelling in a sedan, to enter a place like the Kruger National Park (KNP).

Isaac Phaahla, KNP spokesperson, confirmed this to Lowvelder.

“We can’t break the rules,” said Phaahla when asked whether they would allow a family of four in a sedan into the park. “That would be breaking the rules.”

On social media, some people have complained about these regulations, but the KNP simply adheres to the regulations, and does not make them.

Tour guides, in turn, now have an extensive list of actions to follow when transporting guests according to the August 6 Government Gazette:

In terms of records, a person managing a guided tour must:

keep a record of the full names, identity number or passport number and cellphone numbers of the people taking part in the guided tour; and
make such record available, should it be required in terms of the regulations or by the minister.

Further, a person managing a guided tour must:

not allow a person to the tour if that person is not wearing a cloth mask, or homemade item that covers the nose and mouth or another appropriate item to cover the nose and mouth;
ensure that every person involved in the tour wears a mask at all times except when eating or drinking;
sanitise persons involved in the tour before they enter a tour vehicle, rail or boat;
frequently sanitise guests during their tour or provide guests or persons involved in the tour with sanitisers for frequent use;
ensure that during guided activities that require walking, a social distance of one and a half metres is maintained at all times among persons involved in the tour;
ensure that the loading capacity of guided tour vehicles and other modes of public transport complies with the Directions issued by the minister of transport in respect of the loading capacity of public transport vehicles;
ensure that the door handles, window handles, arm rests and hand rails of all vehicles, rail or boat are sanitised after every load;
ensure that windows on both sides of the tour vehicles, where applicable, are kept five centimetres open on both sides;
ensure that all snacks and drinks provided during the tour are pre-packed and distributed following strict hygiene and sanitising measures. Disposable bottles, containers, cups and utensils should be utilised during tours;
ensure the safe handling and disposal of waste.