By Simon Nare
Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently in self-isolation, his department said on Wednesday.
In a brief statement, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition said Tau had urged anyone who had recently come into contact with him to take precautionary measures and seek testing if necessary.
“Mr Tau is in good spirits and is currently in self-isolation,” the department said.
The department did not disclose where Tau had recently travelled or whether he attended the Presidency’s budget vote debate in Parliament on Tuesday and President Cyril Ramaphosa’s response to the debate on Wednesday.
Tau’s last publicly recorded overseas trip was to China in February 2026.
South Africa recorded its first COVID-19 case on March 5, 2020.
The pandemic went on to infect more than four million people in the country, resulting in more than 102,000 deaths, while nearly four million people recovered.
The pandemic triggered some of the strictest lockdown measures in South Africa’s democratic history, forcing the closure of businesses, restricting travel and disrupting economic activity.
The final nationwide lockdown restrictions were lifted in 2022 as infection rates declined.
COVID-19: CURRENT STATUS EXPLAINED
COVID-19 continues to circulate globally at endemic levels, with infections generally stabilised at a baseline and periodic seasonal spikes, particularly during colder months and periods of increased indoor activity.
Health authorities continue to monitor emerging variants and sub-variants as the virus evolves, although most recent strains have not shown significantly increased severity compared to earlier waves.
While COVID-19 remains associated with acute illness and the risk of Long COVID, widespread population immunity from prior infections and updated vaccines has reduced overall severity.
Most reported cases now present with mild symptoms and place far less pressure on health systems than during the peak pandemic years.
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