South African 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 people so far.
Addressing the nation, Mr Ramaphosa said the outbreak could have a significant and potentially lasting impact on a struggling economy already in recession.
He also placed travel bans to high-risk countries such as Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, and China from 18th March 2020.
He encouraged South Africans to refrain from international travel and said social gatherings should be limited..
