Should you wear a mask to the grocery store? Attorney answers on Breakfast with Martin Bester
There are new recommendations on covering your face to help everyone stay safe during the national lockdown.
It is one of the most frequently asked questions in South Africa and there seems to be confusion.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has recommended that South Africans start wearing cloth masks to help limit the spread of Covid-19.
Cloth masks could prevent people who are unknowingly contagious from spreading their germs and the virus that causes COVID-19 in public places like grocery stores.
A woman wanted to enter a convenience store in Pretoria North but entry was not given as she did not wear a mask.
Are shops within their rights to deny people access if they don’t wear a mask?
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Attorney Megan Harrington-Johnson said, ‘The regulations that are in place keeps changing and it is not in black and white.'
‘In a short answer, no they are not allowed to prevent you from entering a shop.'
'While a shop is still a private institution, you have to do it in the bounds of the constitution. You can’t say to someone you cannot enter because it is not yet illegal to not wear a mask. You cannot keep someone from buying food. It is not yet illegal to go out in public without a mask.