Opposition party the Democratic Alliance (DA) on Wednesday called on government to urgently release the new regulations which will explain the national lockdown under Level 3.

This follows the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) postponing its briefing on Wednesday for the second time.

“As each day passes, the contempt that this government has for the country and those trying to protect their livelihoods becomes more apparent. It is critical that these regulations are released immediately and the needs of the country are put above the disagreements within government,” said DA shadow Minister of Trade and Industry Dean Macpherson.

He criticised government for its “shambolic” handling of the Covid-19 lockdown Level 3 regulations which were supposed to have been given to the country on Tuesday.

He said there were many questions regarding health protocols for each sector and trading hours for the liquor industry.

Macpherson warned that if government called a press conference on Thursday, this would leave businesses and workers with only one working day notice on how they should proceed when the country moves to Level 3 on June 1.

He explained that these health protocols may be complex and required time to implement in many industries, saying for businesses to be given such short notice may render many sectors unable to open owing to lack of compliance.

“It is very clear that there is a low-grade civil war playing out in the NCCC and Cabinet over these regulations which has resulted in the consecutive cancellations. That the Ministers and President cannot agree on what the regulations should look like is now abundantly obvious while the country is left wondering what Monday may look like,” said Macpherson.