• About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Terms of service
No Result
View All Result
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
THE MILLENNIAL SOURCE
  • World
  • US
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Profiles
  • Lifestyle
    • Food & Travel
    • Tech & Money
    • Health
    • Entertainment
  • Newsletter
TMS
No Result
View All Result
Home WORLD

Coronavirus: South Africa begins three-week lockdown

byDhipa Palani
March 27, 2020
in WORLD
Reading Time: 3 minute read
Coronavirus: South Africa begins three-week lockdown

Source: BBC

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin



While Tunisia and Rwanda also took similar measures, South Africa has begun a three-week lockdown to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV), which took effect at midnight on March 26.

Workers have been advised to work from home, except those who are involved in essential services such as healthcare, food, utilities and security. 

South Africa has reported 927 reported cases with no fatalities as of March 27. The number of cases is expected to rise, however, despite the lockdown, but may slow down later during the lockdown period. “We must not be shocked when we see the increase,” said SA Health Minister Zweli Mkhize. 

Anxiety has been running high since the first few cases were reported in the African nation, citing economic uncertainty and a lack of public healthcare infrastructure as major concerns. “Our people are terrified right now and we should not do anything to make their situation worse. Psychologically they are already scared that they could get the virus, lose income, lose jobs, get sick without medication,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said on March 26. 

Economic tough times

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are expected to suffer, although residents are still allowed to access essential items. SMEs across the country were reportedly already struggling to keep their businesses afloat amid challenges such as high taxes and low profit margins. 

A series of measures to cushion the economic effects of the lockdown, including the establishment of a solidarity fund with US$116 million allocated to support local SMEs, are currently underway. 

The country’s economy is already facing a recession, with 30% of its people being unemployment. Stimulus packages to ease the economic impact brought on by the coronavirus have not yet been announced by the government, although postponement in loan repayments, tax subsidies and other financial assistance measures are expected. 

The only other sub-Saharan African country on lockdown, Rwanda, has announced measures to mitigate the economic impact from the coronavirus pandemic, which include the easing of loan payments and liquidity support. 

PUBLIC NOTICE: Measures to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic. #Rwanda pic.twitter.com/p36pRw3oBZ

— CentralBankRw (@CentralBankRw) March 18, 2020

Army and healthcare tested

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has been deployed onto the streets to assist the police in a concerted effort to ensure the country’s almost 60 million citizens comply with the lockdown.  

The country’s public and private healthcare sectors will face a shortage of resources and medical facilities, as thousands of South Africans are expected to possibly be infected with the virus within days.

[article_ad]

Have a tip or story? Get in touch with our reporters here! 

Related

Tags: AfricaShort read
ShareTweetShare

Latest Posts

Trump warns Iran of “1,000 times greater” response to any assassination plot or attack on US

Trump warns Iran of “1,000 times greater” response to any assassination plot or attack on US

September 17, 2020
world reacts to uae and israel normalising diplomatic ties

World reacts to UAE and Israel move to normalize diplomatic ties

August 14, 2020
Justice Department accuses Yale University of racial discrimination in undergraduate admissions process

US Department of Justice accuses Yale University of racial discrimination in admissions process

August 14, 2020

Resurgence of COVID-19 potentially theatens New Zealand election date

August 13, 2020

Biden and Harris pledge to lead America out of crisis in first public event since VP announcement

August 13, 2020

Jimmy Lai released on bail as Next Digital stock price soars

August 12, 2020

History made as Joe Biden picks Kamala Harris for his vice-presidential 2020 election running mate

August 12, 2020

Russian vaccine becomes the first coronavirus vaccine to be approved, but concerns linger over rushed testing process

August 11, 2020

Seattle police chief retires after city council votes to cut US$3.5 million from the police budget

August 11, 2020
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Terms of service

© 2020 The Millennial Source Ltd.

No Result
View All Result
  • World
  • US
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Profiles
  • Lifestyle
    • Food & Travel
    • Tech & Money
    • Health
    • Entertainment
  • Newsletter

© 2020 The Millennial Source Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

The Millennial Source
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.