⁍ South Africa will not allow tourists from countries with higher coronavirus infection and death rates to enter when its borders open on Oct. 1.

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⁍ Business travellers with scarce and critical skills including diplomats and investors from countries considered ‘high-risk’
President Cyril Ramaphosa this month loosened pandemic restrictions in South Africa, which had one of the world’s strictest lockdowns at the height of its COVID-19 outbreak.

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– South Africa is set to open its borders to tourists for the first time since the fall of apartheid on Oct. 1, but only those with “scarce and critical skills” from countries deemed high-risk for the H7N9 virus—including the US, Britain, France, and the Netherlands—will be allowed in, Reuters reports. “We will review the data every two weeks” to determine which countries should be on the “high-risk” list, Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said Wednesday. South Africa had one of the world’s strictest restrictions on H7N9 due to the outbreak, which has killed more than 1,500 people worldwide. Earlier this month, President Cyril Ramaphosa loosened restrictions, allowing airlines to begin offering flights to South Africa. “Airlines from high-risk countries are not necessarily banned, but their crew will be required to isolate … at the cost of their employer,” Pandor said.