Brrrrrr! Cold and snowy weather expected in some areas of SA where Covid-19 is rife

Intense snowfall with severe thunderstorms, heavy downpours and cold temperatures are expected in some parts of SA, where coronavirus is rife.

The South African Weather Services (SAWS) issued a warning of adverse weather conditions that will hit over the central and eastern parts of the country until Wednesday.

Stormy weather, hail and damaging winds are expected in the western parts of KwaZulu-Natal, northern regions of the Eastern Cape and eastern Free State from Tuesday until Wednesday.

Cold temperatures are also expected over Gauteng with snow over the Drakensberg Lesotho.

According to the South African Local Government Association (Salga), municipalities are gearing up for Covid-19 to peak in winter.

However, fears that the cold weather over the next few months could lead to increased infections of the virus still remain, Sunday Times reported over the weekend.

The association's spokesperson, Buhle Ngwenya, said the country's metro and district municipalities are preparing for the expected spread of the virus and have prepared 52 quarantine sites containing 11,873 beds.

As of Monday, SA's confirmed Covid-19 cases shot up to 4 793 with a death toll of 90.

The Western Cape has the most cases in the country, followed by Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

Free State is in the top five with 111 cases.