Officials made face coverings mandatory in May last year at the same time as they gradually eased movement restrictions imposed in March to stem coronavirus infection, AFP reports.

A partial lockdown was reinstated last month as the virus resurged, fuelled by a more transmissible variant.

Officials at the time vowed to be more stringent in enforcing the regulations, which include an alcohol sales ban.

The Police Minister, Bheki Cele, who disclosed this on Wednesday said more than 20,000 people had been arrested or fined since December 29 for breaching the new rules, including 7,455 people detained for not wearing face masks.

More than 830 people have also been arrested for selling, dispensing and transporting alcohol.

“Law enforcement agencies do not enjoy making these arrests,” Cele noted in a statement.

“However, officers… are left with no choice in the interest of saving lives.”

More than 342,000 people have been arrested for contravening coronavirus measures since South Africa declared a national state of disaster in March 2020.

The country is the continent’s worst-affected by the pandemic, with more than 1.2 million coronavirus cases and 34,000 deaths recorded to date.

The agency in a statement released today said face masks made with cotton materials are more effective.

The statement in part reads “Non-medical face masks include self-made or commercial masks or face covers made of cloth, other textiles or other materials such as paper. They are not standardized and are not intended for use in healthcare settings or by healthcare professionals. They serve to limit spread of droplets and offer some measure of protection to those around you. The material of construction is usually cloth(textile fabric), non-woven wadding, or paper-like materials. For these Barrier Masks, 100% cotton is preferred though, polyester, linen or knit fabric can be used. Simple test: If wearer can put off a flame from a cigarette lighter that is placed in front of the wearer, the mask is protective enough. Barrier face masks do not prevent you from contracting disease but, they have been found to contribute to reduce spread of infections when used widely in conjunction with other measures. Such measures include social distancing, not touching the face, eyes or mouth, washing of hands with soap for 20 secs or use of alcohol based hand sanitizers. These face masks are recommended to be washed daily and preferably should be a double layer of fabric to increase the absorbency and effectiveness.
It must be noted that several washes, drying and stretching of the mask over time reduce the effectiveness of the mask.”