Zulu: Children are prohibited to move between co-parents during lockdown
Children from divorced or separated households are prohibited from moving around during the 21-day lockdown period.
Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu says the regulation is among the measures instituted by government to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Speaking about joint custody arrangements at an inter-ministerial briefing, Zulu says children are not allowed to be moved from one parent's home to another.
"[The] directive is to contain the spread of coronavirus in exercising the care contact by persons who are core holders of parental responsibility during the lockdown period. Movement of children between core holders of parental responsibility during the lockdown period is prohibited."
"This is to ensure that the child is not exposed to any possible infection while moving from primary caregivers premises to the other. The child shall remain in the custody of the parent with whom the child was with when the lockdown was affected."
"The parent who is not with the child during the lockdown period, in order to maintain a personal relationship with the child may communicate on a regular basis with the child in other manners, including telephonic other."
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According to Statistics South Africa's 2018 divorce data, 25 284 divorces were processed by the end of December 2019. In the same report, it says of the 25 284 divorces, 14 302 (56,6%) involved couples with children younger than 18 years.
The KwaZulu-Natal Parents Association has welcomed the new regulations by government for parents who live separately.
The association's Vee Gani says the move will help flatten the curve.
"Moving them means you are risking contamination, you are risking infection, you are risking the spread of the disease."
Gani's offered advice to parents who won't be seeing their children during the lockdown.
"You can still keep in touch with your children via voice message, video call, Whatsapp calls. There are lots of other ways in which you can still be in touch with your children."
