South Africa President, Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a national state of disaster as he announced a range of extraordinary measures to contain the Coronavirus outbreak that has infected 61 so far.
Addressing the nation in a live television broadcast after a special cabinet meeting, Ramaphosa said the outbreak, first detected on March 5, could have a significant and potentially lasting impact on a struggling economy already in recession.
President Ramaphosa also placed travel bans to high-risk countries such as Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, and China as from 18th March 2020.
He encouraged South Africans to refrain from international travel and urged for limited social gatherings.
