Coronavirus: South Africa's positive cases pass 20,000 mark

24 Mai 2020

Cape Town, South Africa, May  24 (Infosplusgabon) – The South African Department of Health on Sunday confirmed that 53 employees at AngloGold Ashanti's Mponeng mine in the Merafong district have tested positive for COVID-19 as the country's cases hit 21,343.

All employees have been admitted to hospital and a team has been dispatched to trace all known contacts of the patients.

The mine management said all 378 underground miners have been tested.

And up to 150 health care workers have tested positive for COVID-19 (coronavirus) at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town.

“We have adequate staff and specialists on duty to render uninterrupted and quality service to the patients in hospital,” said hospital spokesperson Laticia Pienaar

About 60% of the 21,343 positive cases are in the Western Cape province.

Cape Town is expected to reach its peak of cases at the end of June, while the rest of South Africa is expected to peak in August or September.

Health experts believe the city is between six and eight weeks ahead of the rest of South Africa in the outbreak. It is unclear whether this is due to the number of foreign visitors who entered through the city’s international airport ahead of the nationwide lockdown in April.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to addresses the nation on Sunday evening to announce that the ban on alcohol sales will be lifted under strict conditions, while the prohibition on the sale of tobacco products will be extended.

FIN/ INFOSPLUSGABON/FRI/GABON2020

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