There have been 15 more cases of confirmed coronavirus patients since Saturday, March 14. This brings up the total number of people infected by COVID-19 to 51 in South Africa.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize released the latest figures on Sunday morning, March 15. According to the statement, the tally of new cases is as follows:

According to the minister, an urgent National Health Council meeting with the Provincial Mec’s and HOD’s for Health was held on Saturday night. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the latest situational analysis of each province as more cases COVID-19 are being confirmed.

“In our engagement, it became clear that the role played by contact tracers is very important and their capacity needs to be strengthened. The NHC agreed that in order to minimize the risk of further spread of the virus, contact tracing must be done within 48 hours,” said Mkhize.

The Two Oceans Marathon has also been cancelled due to the spread of the virus. In a statement, Race Director Debra Barnes said, “The health and safety of the competitors, staff, sponsors and the global community are paramount and an event of this scale poses far too great a risk to continue. Guided by this priority and global best practice, the TOM NPC has made the difficult decision to cancel the world’s most beautiful ultra marathon for 2020.”

 

Picture: Pixabay

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Nidha Narrandes is a food-obsessed travel addict with 21 years of journalism experience. Her motto - Travel. Eat. Repeat. She is happiest on a road to nowhere without a plan. A masterchef at home, she can't do without chilli - because chilli makes the world a tastier place.