COVID-19 WRAP | SA records 39 new Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours

September 21 2020 - 22:18

725 new Covid-19 cases confirmed in SA as deaths approach 16,000

Just 725 new Covid-19 cases were confirmed across the country on Monday.

Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said in a statement that this meant there are now 661,936 total infections confirmed countrywide.

There are 54,736 active cases in the country, of which 20,017 are in Gauteng.

September 21 2020 - 18:18

Millions of Africans pushed into extreme poverty by Covid-19: Mkhize

Millions of Africans have been pushed into extreme poverty since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, health minister Zweli Mkhize told delegates at a virtual conference on Monday.

Mkhize was speaking on behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa at a conference attended by members of the Centre for Global Development, the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the AU.

September 21 2020 - 14:21

'We can’t rest until we find a vaccine': Zweli Mkhize warns of possible Covid-19 surge

Health minister Zweli Mkhize has warned of a possible Covid-19 resurgence as the country moves to lockdown level 1.

The warning comes as the number of cumulative infections sit at 661,221, while the death total reached 15,953 at the weekend.

Mkhize said the country had not yet been cleared of the coronavirus despite moving to level 1.  

September 21 2020 - 12:31

'We can’t practise in this climate': doctors write to Cyril Ramaphosa

The Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa about the criminal case against Dr Peter Beale and Dr Abdulhay Munshi,  who was shot dead last week.

The pair were charged with culpable homicide after the death of a prominent businessman's 10-year-old son following a laparoscopic operation to stop reflux last year.

September 21 2020 - 11:38

Lockdown blues: here's what is still not allowed on level 1

On Monday SA woke up to the last level of its lockdown.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced last week that the country would move to level 1 from midnight on Sunday.

Under level 1, all sectors will be allowed to trade and the curfew is between midnight and 4am daily.

September 21 2020 - 11:01

UK ponders second Covid-19 lockdown as outbreak accelerates

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is pondering a second national Covid-19 lockdown as the novel coronavirus outbreak accelerates.

New Covid-19 cases are rising by at least 6,000 per day in Britain, according to week old data, hospital admissions are doubling every eight days and the testing system is buckling.

September 21 2020 - 10:57

Fight corruption: wear an orange mask on Fridays (and don't dance on Heritage Day)

The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation is taking a stand against Covid-19 corruption and has urged SA to show solidarity by wearing orange face masks on Friday.

September 21 2020 - 09:04

WATCH | 'Will level 1 lead to a second wave?': Wits professor gives insight into SA's Covid-19 strategy

Monday marks the beginning of alert level 1 for SA after months of hard lockdown.

With the economy slowly opening up, the ban on international travel has finally been lifted, among other things.

September 21 2020 - 08:26

Court rules it's not a must for Post Office to pay retirement contributions during pandemic

The post office retirement fund has failed in its court bid to force the SA Post Office (Sapo) to continue making contributions to the fund despite the tough financial situation the postal agency finds itself in due to Covid-19.

Last week the high court in Pretoria dismissed the fund's case with costs.

In her judgment, Judge Elizabeth Kubushi said the economic downturn resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic was of a magnitude that no-one could have predicted.

September 21 2020 - 07:17

Virus cases in SA slowly approaching 700,000 mark

September 21 2020 - 07:13

Covid-19 death toll stands at 15,953

Thirteen more fatalities related to Covid-19 were recorded on Sunday, bringing the death toll related to the pandemic to 15,953, the health ministry said.

The Western Cape accounted for six of the deaths, followed by Gauteng and the Eastern Cape, which each recorded three. KwaZulu-Natal recorded one fatality.

September 21 2020 - 07:12

Covid-19 lawbreakers in Indonesia forced to dig graves as punishment

Law enforcement officials in East Java, Indonesia, have introduced grave digging as one of the punishments applied to those who break Covid-19 health protocols.