SEVERAL travel industry associations have welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement on March 22 that lifts the requirement for vaccinated inbound travellers to South Africa to show a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.
Ramaphosa stipulated that travellers could now present proof of full vaccination or a negative PCR test result if they were partially or non-vaccinated.
Although PCR testing is considered the most reliable and accurate way to detect an active infection, the Association of Southern African Travel Agents (Asata) said PCR tests were “costly and onerous”.
On average, each PCR test costs about R500 and it can take anywhere from 24 to 72 hours to get the result.
Asata said after the announcement that the removal of the PCR test requirement for travellers was a vital step in rebuilding the travel and tourism industry.
The Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (Fedhasa) shared Asata’s sentiments, stating that the cost and inconvenience of mandatory PCR testing was exacerbated if travellers visited
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