Dozens arrested as South Africa shuts down

South Africa announced its first death from the coronavirus yesterday as the country’s cases rose well above 1000 and a three-week lockdown began.

But some people coolly strolled through townships, alcohol in hand, or jostled in line at shops as fellow citizens looked on, worried. The police minister later said 55 people had been arrested for violating the lockdown.

The death occurred in Western Cape province. South Africa’s 1170 cases are the most in Africa, with the total across the continent now above 3500.

More than 24,000 police officers were deployed nationwide. The military helped to enforce measures that include bans on sales of cigarettes and alcohol, and even dog walking.

Zimbabwe also announced a threeweek ‘‘total lockdown’’ of its own, starting tomorrow. The country has just a handful of cases but a shattered health system.

In Africa’s largest city, Nigeria’s Lagos, non-essential markets were shut down as the country’s cases rose to 65.

Congo announced a case in the eastern province of Ituri, a region affected by the other current global health emergency, an Ebola virus outbreak, which is waning. The United Nations mission in Somalia said a contractor had the virus, bringing cases in the fragile country to three.

Twenty-four of Africa’s 54 countries already have fully closed borders, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

‘‘It is literally a matter of life and death,’’ Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi said yesterday, urging citizens to stay home. The country is just one of eight in Africa without a confirmed case.