Covid-19 crisis: Updated essential goods, services lists

As Legalbrief Today has regularly reported, there have been many changes to the 18 March disaster management regulations, as well as to the list of essential goods and services gazetted on 25 March in Annexure B to the first set of amendments. Policy Watch's Pam Saxby notes the list below reflects the latest changes, presented in the same order as gazetted.

GOODS

Food

• any food product, including non-alcoholic beverages, but excluding cooked hot food (20 April)
• animal food
• chemicals, packaging and ancillary products used in the production of any food product

Cleaning and hygiene products

• toilet paper, sanitary pads, sanitary tampons and condoms
• hand sanitiser, disinfectants, soap, alcohol for industrial use, household cleaning products, and personal protective equipment
• chemicals, packaging and ancillary products used in the production of any of the above
• products for the care of babies and toddlers (26 March)
• personal toiletries, including haircare, body and face washes, roll-ons, deodorants and toothpaste (26 March)

Medical

• medical and hospital supplies, medicine and equipment, as well as personal protective equipment (2 April)
• chemicals, packaging and ancillary products used in the production of any of the above
• fuel, including coal, wood and gas (2 April)
• basic goods, including airtime, electricity and the withdrawal of cash (2 April)
• hardware, components and supplies required by any qualified tradesperson solely for the purpose of emergency repairs at residential homes (16 April)
• hardware, components and supplies required by any entity engaged in the provision of essential services for any project related to the provision of water, electricity or other essential services (16 April)
• components for vehicles under-going emergency repairs where such vehicles are used by persons engaged in essential services work (16 April)

Sundry

• ICT devices for higher education institutions (including desktops, laptops, modems and other devices used for education purposes) (17 April)
• gases, liquids and chemicals used to preserve biological samples and to maintain equipment and machinery at higher education institutions (17 April)
• feed for laboratory and farm animals kept at higher education institutions (17 April)

SERVICES (listed in the order gazetted)

• medical, health (including mental health) and laboratory services, and services provided by the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (26 March)
• disaster management, fire prevention, firefighting and emergency services
• services necessary to maintain the functioning of a financial system as defined in section 1(1) of the Financial Sector Regulation Act, but only when the operation of a place of business or entity is necessary to continue to perform those services: (i) the banking environment (including the operations of mutual banks, cooperative banks, co-operative financial institutions and the Postbank); (ii) the payments environment; (iii) the financial markets (including market infrastructures licensed under the Financial Markets Act; (iv) the insurance environment; (v) the savings and investment environment; (vi) pension fund administration; (vii) outsourced administration; (viii) medical schemes administration; (ix) additional services designated in terms of regulation 11B(4A)(c)(i); and services necessary for the provision of social grants designated in terms of regulation 11B(4A)(c)(ii) (this is noting that the services listed ‘may not be construed to include debt collection’) (2 April, replacing the original wording and all previous amendments)
• production and sale of essential goods
• grocery stores and wholesale produce markets, spaza shops, informal fruit and vegetable sellers and langanas, with written permission from a municipal authority to operate being required in respect of spaza shops and informal fruit and vegetable traders (all valid permits for spaza shops and informal fruit and vegetable traders issued before or during the national State of Disaster and/or falling due during that period will remain valid for one month after it ends (16 April, replacing the original wording)
• electricity (‘including vital demand management services’), water, gas and fuel production, supply and maintenance (26 March)
• critical jobs for essential government services as determined by heads of national or provincial departments in accordance with guidance from the Department of Public Service & Administration, including social grant and pension payments (2 April, replacing the original wording)
• birth and death certificates
• ID document replacement
• basic municipal services (separately specified further down the original list as cleaning, sanitation, pest control, sewerage, waste and refuse removal services) (2 April)
• care services and social relief of distress provided to older persons, the mentally ill, persons with disabilities, the sick and children
• funeral and cremation services, including mortuary services and the transportation of mortal remains (2 April, replacing the original wording)
• wildlife management, anti-poaching, animal care and veterinary services
• newspaper, broadcasting and telecommunication infrastructure and services, including call centres critical to supporting these services (2 April, replacing the original wording)
• production and sale of chemicals, hygiene products and pharmaceuticals for the medical and retail sectors
• services related to the essential functioning of courts, judicial officers, the Master of the High Court, sheriffs, and legal practitioners required for those services
• essential SARS services
• police, peace officers, traffic officers, military medical personnel and soldiers, correctional services officials and traffic management services
• postal services and courier services related to the transport of medical products
• private security services
• air traffic navigation, air charters, cargo shipping and dockyard services, and the services of the Civil Aviation Authority (2 April)
• services necessary for gold, coal, other mining and gold refinery operations (16 April)
• accommodation for persons rendering essential services, as well as for quarantine, isolation and lockdown purposes
• all services entailed in the production, manufacture, supply, transport, delivery, critical maintenance and repair of goods, components and equipment required for rendering essential services and in providing these services themselves, including any other necessary logistical services
• transport services for persons rendering essential services
• medical patient transport services
• services rendered by the executive, MPs, members of the provincial legislatures, members of local councils, the judiciary, traditional leaders and the national office bearers of political parties represented in Parliament
• commissioners of the SAHRC, Gender Commission, Commission for the Promotion & Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious & Linguistic Communities, the Independent Electoral Commission, the Public Protector and the Deputy Public Protector, and services rendered by these institutions (16 April)
• transport and logistic services required to supply cargo and goods to neighbouring countries (2 April)
• tow trucks and vehicle recovery services (26 March)
• call centres necessary for providing health, safety, social support, government and financial services, retail customer debt restructuring, and access to short-term insurance policies following reduced or loss of income (16 April)
• harvesting and storage activities essential to prevent the wastage of primary agricultural goods (26 March)
• payroll system implementation where this is required to ensure wage and salary payments during lockdown (26 March)
• critical maintenance services that cannot be delayed for more than 21 days and are essential to the resumption of operations after the lockdown (26 March)
• trades necessary for rendering emergency repair work, including plumbers, electricians, locksmiths, glaziers and roof repair workers (16 April)
• trades necessary for emergency repairs to vehicles used by persons rendering essential services (16 April)
• ICT support rendered to entities and institutions engaged in delivering essential services (16 April)
• services required to transport essential goods to and from institutions of higher learning and designated individuals (17 April)