It’s time to break out the lipstick again and, well, breathe. As of yesterday, South Africans no longer need to wear face masks!

The last remaining limits in place after we exited a state of disaster in April have been officially scrapped: wearing masks indoors, limiting gatherings to 50% of capacity plus the need to be vaccinated to enter the country. 

Health Minister Joe Phaahla quietly repealed the regulations by notice in the Government Gazette, ahead of a press conference today, Business Insider noted. 

Many countries have increasingly lifted their mask mandate. As The Telegraph notes: “Most of Britain ditched the divisive face covering back in January, sparking something of a domino effect. Norway and Denmark quickly followed suit, as did a clutch of Eastern European countries … the US is now mask-free and – as of May 16 – France has scrapped all of its rules.”

Most experts agree it’s the right thing to do – even overdue. Renowned epidemiologist Professor Salim Abdool Karim says that every wave tended to be followed by a three-month period in which transmission rates remained low, with the country currently in this stage. This made it the ideal time to relax restrictions, News24 reported.

But he cautioned that large events still remained a risk. “In terms of public health measures, if we do just one thing, it should be to make it a requirement that you are vaccinated or have a negative Covid-19 test before attending a large indoor event,” Karim said.

So, while you don’t have to, experts recommend that we keep our masks on at health facilities as well as at large gatherings. 

Still, we’re pretty excited to see each other’s faces again. Here’s to people actually noticing when you smile at them! 😅