Lockdown latest: What exercise will be allowed during Level 4?

For many people, the first day of May cannot come soon enough. Friday will mark the first time in five weeks where South Africans will be allowed out of their homes – for brief periods of time – on non-essential grounds. However, not everybody is clear about what “personal movement and exercise” entails when we shift to Level 4 of lockdown.

What remains banned during Level 4 of lockdown?

The slight lifting of restrictions are hardly sweeping – and that’s for the benefit of our collective health. The staged lifting of lockdown is designed to prevent a second wave of infections ripping through South Africa, and it could be a number of months before we’re back to anything resembling normality.

Personal movement under Level 4 is still subject to these limitations:

• Travelling to different provinces is still banned.
• You’re not allowed to travel to meet friends or family.
• All public gatherings remain prohibited.
• We now have a curfew in place from 20:00 – 5:00 each night. Not that there’s anywhere to go during that time.
• People are still advised to stay home as much as possible, and have been asked to wear a cloth mask while outdoors.

Personal movement will still be highly restricted

However, we do at least have a bit of joy with exercise. According to the amendments made in our lockdown laws, “people can exercise under strict public health conditions” as of Friday. But what will that involve?

Well, it might be easier to discuss what’s not permitted: No organised activities, like races or competitions, will be allowed. Recreational facilities will also remain closed. Yes, that refers to gyms as well, which stay off-limits.

Although not implicitly stated, it is likely that people will be allowed daily walks within a close proximity of their homes. If similar lockdown models from other countries are followed, we can expect an allowance of 60 minutes per day. However, the area is a little more grey when it comes to jogging and cycling in Level 4.

That’s because these two activities have been implicitly listed as something which returns in Level 3 of lockdown. There’s a chance that the definition of “exercise” will be applied subjectively, meaning some of our favourite pursuits will still be (at least) a few weeks away from returning.

What exercise will we be allowed to do in Level 4?

So, essentially, the only activities that would be permitted *on the current wording of government plans* are various types of walks. Whether that will include hiking or not remains to be seen. Until ministers brief us on the exact details of our new phase, South Africans will be left in an “exercise limbo” for the next few days.

We are expecting the final details on these matters to be published on Thursday, the day before we enter into Level 4. Some may be left disappointed, but many will be grateful the country is taking a small step forward.