South Africa has begun easing Covid restrictions, believing the country has passed the peak of a Omicron-fuelled fourth wave, a government statement said.
A midnight to 4am curfew has been lifted with immediate effect.
Mondli Gungubele, a minister in the presidency, said South Africa made the changes based on the trajectory of the pandemic, levels of vaccination in the country and available capacity in the health sector.
South Africa is currently at the lowest of its five-stage COVID-19 alert levels.
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"All indicators suggest the country may have passed the peak of the fourth wave at a national level," a statement from the special cabinet meeting held earlier on Thursday said.
Data from the Department of Health showed a 29.7% week-on-week decrease in the number of new cases detected in the seven days to December 25, the government said.
South Africa, with close to 3.5 million infections and 91,000 deaths, has been the worst-hit country in Africa during the pandemic.
But the government said gatherings will be restricted to no more than 1,000 people indoors, and no more than 2,000 people outdoors.
It also ruled that alcohol shops with licenses to operate beyond 11pm may revert back to full license conditions, a welcome boon for traders and businesses hard hit by the pandemic and looking to recover during the festive season.
"While the Omicron variant is highly transmissible, there has been lower rates of hospitalisation than in previous waves," cabinet said, adding that the wearing of masks in public places remained mandatory.
Failure to wear a mask in South Africa when required remains a criminal offence.
