POLL | Covid-19 cases in SA approach 800,000 - are you still following lockdown rules?

The health department says SA has identified nearly 800,000 Covid-19 cases, and minister Zweli Mkhize has urged South Africans to exercise caution and use the Covid Alert SA app to protect themselves against the coronavirus.

Gauteng, the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape have the most cases.

The Eastern Cape and Western Cape are in the spotlight following a resurgence in infection and hospitalisation rates in recent weeks

Last week, Western Cape premier Alan Winde declared the Garden Route a hotspot following a spike in infections in George, Knysna and Bitou.

Winde urged residents in the province to adhere to the Covid-19 regulations to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.

He also expressed fear about the possibility of the reintroduction of a stricter lockdown, saying it would kill jobs and cause the "humanitarian disaster" to worsen.

Mkhize visited the Eastern Cape last week to assess efforts to curb the transmission of the virus in the province.

As of Monday, positive Covid-19 cases in the province had spiked to 126,520.

Speaking at Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth, the minister said the department was concerned about the increase in infections in Nelson Mandela Bay.

“We are here because there is clearly a resurgence in Nelson Mandela Bay. It is a concern we are also seeing in a few other areas. The country has small cluster outbreaks, but they are transient. Nelson Mandela Bay has continued to fester and our concern is that something has to be done,” he said.