COVID-19: South Africa’s Cases Hit 709

• COVID-19: South Africa’s Cases Hit 709

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa rose to 709 on Wednesday ahead of 21-day lockdown ordered by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

President Cyril Ramaphosa had ordered a 21-day lockdown beginning from Thursday after the total number of confirmed cases rose to 354 on Monday to curb the spread of the virus in Africa’s second-largest economy.

However, additional 150 confirmed cases were reported later on Tuesday to take the total number to 514. On Wednesday, the number of confirmed cases jumped to 709 in Africa’s most advanced economy.

According to Zweli Mkhize, Health Minister, South Africa, they are expecting more cases and described the current situation as ‘early days’.

“We are expecting that there is still going to be quite an increase in the number of cases, and we are also expecting that a lot of work needs to be done by South Africans to contain this infection,” Mkhize said.

Therefore, the government has started preparing for more cases. Patricia de Lille, the Minister of Public Works, on Wednesday said she has identified more than 16,000 beds in potential quarantine facilities, including hotels, holiday properties, government buildings, and hospitals. Suggesting South Africa has broader contacts of existing cases or the number of isolated suspected cases is on the rise.