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South Africa Declares National State of Disaster on COVID-19
South African president announces emergency measures to cope with the novel coronavirus
By Ni Yanshuo  ·2020-03-16

“We have now declared a national state of disaster in terms of the Disaster Management Act,” said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in a televised address to the nation after an emergency cabinet meeting on March 15.

“Never before in the history of our democracy has our country been confronted with such a severe situation,” he said.

On March 9, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak as a global pandemic. So far, there are now more than 162,000 people who have tested positive for the coronavirus across the globe.

South Africa has 61 confirmed cases of people infected with the virus, and the number is expected to rise in the coming days and weeks.

Among the measures to cope with the rapid spread of the disease in South Africa, Ramaphosa announced a travel ban on foreign nationals from high-risk countries such as Italy, Iran, Republic of Korea, Spain, Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom and China as of March 18.

“We have cancelled visas to visitors from those countries from today and previously granted visas are hereby revoked,” he added. Any foreign national who has visited the high-risk countries in the past 20 days will be denied a visa.

At the same time, schools will be closed from March 18 until after the Easter Weekend (April 12). Gatherings of more than 100 people will be prohibited.

On March 15, a student at the University of the Witwatersrand tested positive for the coronavirus. Those who have been in contact with the student have been quarantined.

As part of the efforts to fight COVID-19, South Africa will establish a National Command Council chaired by Ramaphosa. The council will meet three times a week to coordinate all aspects of the country’s extraordinary emergency response.

“If we act together, if we act now, and if we act decisively, we will overcome it,” said Ramaphosa.

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