S. African national parks ready to receive visitors

File photo taken on Aug. 30, 2015, shows rhinos at the Kruger National Park in Cape Town, South Africa. (Xinhua/Gao Yuan)

South African National Parkssays it is ready to receive visitors in the facilities in a controlled manner as the country moves to lockdown level 2.

JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- South African National Parks (SANParks) on Tuesday announced their readiness to receive visitors in the facilities in a risk-adjusted manner as the country moved to lockdown level 2.

This follows the announcement last weekend by President Cyril Ramaphosa that the country would move to lockdown level 2 on Tuesday.

SANParks said all accommodation establishments will restrict the number of persons to no more than 50 percent of the facility.

"Practically this means that SANParks will be obligated to amend or cancel bookings in parks and camps that are currently booked beyond that capacity and in addition, to reject new bookings that may lead to operating above the regulated 50 percent threshold. No guests will be charged cancellation fees if an eventual cancellation occurs and is due to COVID-19 related circumstances," said SANParks CEO Fundisile Mketeni.

He said in canceling the bookings, those that booked earlier will receive preference over those that booked later.

Mketeni requested those visiting the national parks to respect the regulations and protocols put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

In March, the South African government put in place national lockdown which banned visits to tourist resorts and overnight accommodation to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.