S/Africa, Mauritius imposes lockdown, Ethiopia closes borders

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced in a live televised address that there will be a nationwide lockdown from midnight on Thursday. It will last for 21 days.

This means that all South Africans are required to “stay at home except for essential purposes”, a tweet from the president’s office said.

There are 402 cases of coronavirus in the country - the highest number in subSaharan Africa. No deaths have been recorded so far.

Meanwhile, the government of Mauritius has imposed a total lockdown. The island nation, which has a population of 1.2m, has reported two deaths from Covid-19 and 28 positive cases.

During

the

lockdown period, which will run until 2 April, people will not be allowed to leave their houses unless they have a permit from the police commissioner.

Ethiopia has closed its borders after the number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 11.

The military would ensure that vehicles do not cross the border, except those bringing in goods.