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Johannesburg – South Africa now has more than 4,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize confirmed Thursday.
He said the country now had 4,220 confirmed cases and the death toll had risen to 79.
This is an increase of 267 new infections since Thursday. There were 318 new infections on Thursday, the highest jump since the virus entered the South African coast in March. The total number of deaths from the virus is now 79 as well.
The four new deaths came from the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, with two each. This brings the death toll in the Western Cape to 30 and in KZN to 29.
The Western Cape has the majority of cases and most deaths in the country.
The country has also recorded more than 1,400 recoveries, with more than 800 recoveries recorded in Gauteng and around 200 between the Western Cape and KZN.
The minister said that just over 150,000 tests had been carried out across the country, with just under 60,000 tests in the public sector.
In the past seven days, South Africa has seen its cases increase by 1,278 (excluding new cases on Friday).
This has seen the number of SAs increase as follows since April 18: 99 new infections, 178, 251, 124, 142, 166 and 318.
South Africa is currently on the 29th day of its Level 5 block, which will end in late April.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Thursday night that the closure would be reduced to Level 4 starting May 1, allowing more companies to return to work. The sale of cigarettes would also be allowed starting next Friday.
Meanwhile, South Africans showered the president with appreciation under the hashtag “Cyril Fridays” on Friday, thanking Ramaphosa for his demonstrable leadership and determination in the battle against the invisible enemy, the coronavirus.
On Thursday night, the President had become a joke after making a mistake in trying to demonstrate to South Africans how to wear a cloth mask, which will be necessary for all people leaving their homes starting next Friday.
The President had awkwardly covered the mask of his eyes and seemed to be fighting.
On Friday, he joked with reporters that he would start a television show where he would teach the public how to use the mask correctly.
DECOMPOSING
Western Cape Province – 1,413 total cases – 134 new cases, 2 new deaths
Gauteng – 1,281 total cases – 28 new cases
KZN – 841 total cases – 34 new cases, 2 new deaths
Eastern Cape Province – 480 total cases – 63 new cases
Free State – 111 total cases – 5 new cases
Limpopo – 29 total cases – 2 new cases
Northwest – 25 total cases – no new cases
Mpumalanga – 24 total cases – 1 new case
Northern Cape – 16 total cases – no new cases
Unassigned – 1 case
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa has issued a warning that Covid-19 corruption will not be tolerated. He said the Auditor General’s office had been tasked with ensuring that all processes related to the economic and social relief of R500 billion were followed correctly.
Ramaphosa said he did not want to see any of that happen and that he had approached the Auditor General to make sure that systems were in place to ensure that money was spent in the right areas.
“We will be watching how the money will be spent. I spoke to the Auditor General and said that we need to proactively establish systems to prevent abuse of the resources that we are implementing.” So the money doesn’t end up in people’s pockets, “he said Friday at the Nasrec Expo Center, where he saw a quarantine facility.
Ramaphosa said he did not want to have to deal with a request for an investigation into the missing funds when the coronavirus crisis ended.
“We have heard that there have been stories that some of these (food packages) have ended up in the hands of councilors. We are taking proactive steps. I don’t want to hear a commission request later, I don’t want to hear about a Covid commission, so So, we want to take proactive measures, “he said.
MESS
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