SA Covid-19 cases rise to 752,269, with 20,314 deaths

The cumulative number of detected Covid-19 cases in the country has increased to 752,269, with 1,245 new cases identified in the past 24-hour cycle, health minister Zweli Mkhize said on Monday.

Seventy-three more Covid-19 related deaths were reported, 32 in the Eastern Cape, 23 in the Free State, seven in Gauteng and 11 in the Western Cape.

This brings the total deaths in SA to 20,314.

The cumulative number of tests conducted is 5,142,947, with 12,755 new tests conducted since the last report on Sunday.

Mkhize said during a briefing on the country's response and readiness to deal with a possible second wave of the virus on Sunday that the government did not yet have a basis to implement restrictions on mass gatherings or the sale and consumption of alcohol, despite a rising number of Covid-19 infections.

Mkhize added that whether SA would have a second wave depended on the behaviour of all adhering to the health and safety measures in place.  

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