Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has reported a steady increase in the number of COVID-19 positive cases, with 318 new confirmed cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 3,953.South Africans have also been helping curb the spread of COVID-19 where they can as 75,000 South Africans have helped to boost the Solidarity Fund to R2.6 billion.
It said R1.1 billion had been spent on procurement of personal protective equipment for frontline workers test kits and ventilators and 21 million masks.Surgical face masks are either running out at stores or supermarkets and pharmacies are inflating prices, can cloth face masks be an alternative? What protection do cloth masks offer? And how do they compare to medical masks? Africa Check looks at the available research.While government has said that the lives of South Africans are a priority now, it has been hard to ignore the knock-on effect the COVID-19 outbreak has had on the economy. Calls are mounting for the president to reopen more sectors of the economy to avoid further devastation of livelihoods.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to address the country on the measure’s government will take beyond the nationwide lockdown to reopen the economy.With the president set to address the nation at 20:30 this evening, the Western Cape has now become the epicentre of the novel coronavirus in South Africa, accounting for 32.4% of the country's total cases of 3,953.