PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has offered his condolences to the victims of the coronavirus pandemic.
This comes after a day after the number of people in South Africa infected with the novel coronavirus exceeded 50,000 on Monday, with 2,594 cases reported in the last 24 hours.
“I would like to offer my condolences to all South Africans who have lost someone they love, and wish them strength, courage and hope in the days ahead. We should take this moment to remind ourselves that the coronavirus presents a real danger to all of us. While it may be an invisible enemy, it is nevertheless deadly,” said Ramaphosa.
“While most of those infected with the virus will have only mild symptoms, or no symptoms at all, they can still spread the disease to others who may suffer far more. To protect yourself and others, you should wear a mask when in public so that it covers your mouth and nose, wash your hands frequently with soap or sanitiser, and don’t sit or stand too close to others in public transport or in a store.”
Ramaphosa has wished strength to those who have lost someone they love to the disease.
He’s praised South Africans who have acted accordingly in reducing the spread of COVID-19.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Africa now exceeds 190,000 while more than 5,000 people have died from the virus.
The highest death toll on the continent has been reported in Egypt, with 1,271 fatalities. It is followed by South Africa with 1,080 deaths, Algeria with 715, Sudan with 359 and Nigeria with 354.
The countries with the highest number of cases are South Africa with 50,879, Egypt with 35,444, Nigeria with 12,486 and Algeria with 10,265.
After originating in Wuhan, China last December, COVID-19 has spread to at least 188 countries and regions.
The pandemic has killed more than 406,500 people worldwide, with more than 7.11 million confirmed cases, while recoveries have surpassed 3.29 million, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University of the US.
(Compiled by Inside Politics staff)
