COVID: South Africa 'returns to normalcy'

The pandemic felt like a distant memory on the first Thursday of February in Cape Town. Once a month, galleries, restaurants, and shops in the city center open until late, turning the area into a massive pedestrian zone.

"Friends told me that there would hardly be any restrictions," German tourist Dominik Irschik told DW. He had just arrived in Cape Town. "But I didn't expect this. Streets, bars, and clubs are full of people — everybody is relaxed and lives like normal again. It's great," Irschik said.

On the other side of Cape Town, life is also getting back to normal in the Khayelitsha township. Two years ago, financial problems and the pandemic forced Siphelo Jalivane to close his milk bar and restaurant.

Now the place is packed for the reopening. "COVID has taught us a lot of things. You need to put your eggs in different baskets," Jalivane said.

"I wish I won't even hear the name COVID again," co-owner Mfundo Mbeki chimed in. "That's what we are wishing for."

Uptick in tourist arrivals

After nearly two years, President Cyril Ramaphosa lifted most lockdown restrictions, including a curfew. As a result, tourists have once again started pouring into the country.

There had been mass travel cancellations following the discovery of the omicron variant. But the horror scenarios some analysts had predicted didn't play out. The number of new infections may have risen rapidly, but hospitals were not overwhelmed.

The fourth wave seems to be receding. Many South Africans are hoping that this could mark the beginning of the end of the pandemic.

New government regulations stipulate anyone without symptoms can effectively live life as usual with no testing or isolation requirements. Schools are also back to normal with no social distancing requirements.

Many infected before Omicron's discovery

Scientists are also optimistic despite the low vaccination rate of only 28% of fully vaccinated South Africans. Epidemiologist Wolfgang Preiser said even before the omicron wave, many South Africans were already infected with the coronavirus — according to antibody studies, about 70% of the population.

Hospital data show that a prior coronavirus infection or vaccination protects against severe illness — including the omicron variant.

"If you get to a situation where nearly everyone has had it or has been vaccinated, you can relax," Preiser, who heads the Medical Virology department at Stellenbosch University, said.

So should the rest of the world relax too? Not necessarily, Preiser said. South Africa's high infection rates in the past also mean many vulnerable people passed away from COVID-19.

When comparing the situation to Europe, Preiser also warned of differences in weather, school breaks, and previous infection rates. "That's why you can't just say: We expect things to go as they have in South Africa."

Pandemic turning endemic

Preiser hopes that the pandemic could become endemic like other coronaviruses if most of the population has basic immunity from a previous infection or vaccination.

"I still have hope that we can get around regular booster shots," Preiser said. He could imagine that if everyone has elemental immunity — possibly with a specific omicron booster — and another variant doesn't come as a nasty surprise, "we can keep our immunity up by natural means via regular re-infections with the coronavirus."

No one wants to think about more mutations right now — neither in Cape Town's city center nor in the Milk Restaurant and Bar in Khayelitsha. And certainly not owner Siphelo Jalivana.

He already has big plans for post-pandemic, and wants to expand to other cities. He believes that the prospects for businesses in South Africa finally look good again.

Edited by: Chrispin Mwakideu