South Africa to go into nationwide lockdown from Thursday

South Africa, Africa's most industrialized economy and a nation of 57 million people, will to go into a nationwide lockdown for 21 days starting Thursday to try to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, the president has said.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the measures on Monday in response to the increase of COVID-19 cases to 402. South Africa will be the third country in Africa to close down all but essential economic activity, after Rwanda and Tunisia.

South Africa's coronavirus cases jumped by 47 per cent on Monday from the day before with 128 new cases, increasing worries of exponential growth and making it the country with the most cases in Africa, taking over from Egypt.

More than half of South Africa's total cases are in Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg, the country's largest city with 5.7 million people, and the capital, Pretoria, with 2.4 million, according to figures released by the Health Ministry.

South Africa has not registered a known death from COVID-19, the disease caused by the new virus.

Officials have said the majority of people infected were travellers from Europe and other countries, although the number of cases that are locally transmitted is rising. South Africa's crowded working class residential areas and packed commuter trains and minivan taxis are expected to contribute to the spread of COVID-19.

Ramaphosa said the lockdown would be enforced by police and the military starting at midnight Thursday. Military convoys have already deployed across Johannesburg.

"We need to urgently and dramatically escalate our response," Ramaphosa said in an address to the nation.

"The next few days are crucial. Without decisive action the number of people infected will rapidly increase," he said. "This is extremely dangerous for a population like ours, which has a a large number of people with suppressed immunity because of HIV and TB, and high levels of poverty and malnutrition."
"Our people don't have the money to stockpile food, or buy face masks and sanitizers. ... It is time for South Africans to reach across the inequity which divides us."