South Africa is preparing to reopen its borders to travelers far sooner than originally expected, with international tourism set to resume on October 1, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced this week.
As is the case in many recently reopened destinations, visitors to South Africa will be required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of their departure to avoid quarantining for 14 days at their own expense. Travelers will also undergo temperature checks upon landing at airports.
Additionally, visitors will need to download a mobile contact-tracing app and be expected to wear face-coverings in public.
South Africa's coveted beaches, wildlife parks and other tourist attractions will be open in addition to hotels and restaurants but a curfew will be in effect each night from midnight to 4 a.m. starting Sunday as the country moves to Level 1 of the Risk-Adjusted Strategy.
It's not yet clear whether the United States will be included in the list of countries approved for travel to South Africa next month, however, as Ramaphosa said travel could be restricted from places with a high level of COVID-19 transmission.
"We will gradually and cautiously ease restrictions on international travel...allowing travel into and out of South Africa for business, leisure and other travel with effect from October 1, 2020," said Ramaphosa. "Travel may be restricted to and from certain countries that have high infection rates."
South Africa hosted nearly 17 million visitors in 2019.
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