A special Cabinet meeting held on Sunday has resolved to impose strict travel restrictions between South Africa and several other countries affected by the coronavirus. The extraordinary measures – unprecedented during our age of democracy an which includes an official travel ban – have been brought in as a matter of urgency by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Coronavirus forces South Africa into ‘travel ban’

Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu revealed that the meeting had concluded at 15:00 after starting at 10:30. The robust discussions have hammered out a blueprint for how South Africa carries on in the face of the global pandemic. Ramaphosa confirmed that 10 more cases had been reported on Sunday evening, jumping from 51 to 61 in a matter of hours.

Addressing the media in the evening, Ramaphosa acknowledged the logistical challenges that will come with this legislation. Of the 61 coronavirus cases reported in South Africa, an overwhelming majority of patients had travelled to mainland Europe before testing positive upon their return home. List of ‘high risk countries’:

1. UK

2. Austria

3.Switzerland

4. Germany

5. Italy

6. Spain

7. Netherlands

8. Iran

Most of the people who have contracted #COVID19 in South Africa traveled to the following places abroad in no particular order

1. UK

2. Austria

3.Switzerland

4. Germany

5. Italy

6. Spain

7. Netherlands

8. Iran #CoronaVirusSa — Athi Mtongana (@Artii_M) March 15, 2020

Cyril Ramaphosa lists countries on South Africa’s travel ban

“We will limit contact between persons who may be infected. We’re imposing a travel on ban on foreign nationals from Italy, Iran, South Korea, Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom and China. We have cancelled visas from those countries. We advise against all travel to the EU, the United States, China, Iran, the UK and South Korea – this is effective immediately. “Any foreign national who has visited these countries in the past 20 days, will be denied a visa. Anyone returning to South Africa from these high-risk countries will be quarantined for 14 days. All travellers who entered SA from these nations since mid-February, are asked to get themselves tested.” Cyril Ramaphosa

Coronavirus could lead to ‘national lockdown’

The UK, Germany and Italy are among the countries most frequented by our COVID-19 returnees. They also feature on the list of places from where travellers have been banned from visiting South Africa:

The decision was made as calls to put Mzansi on “lockdown” intensified on social media. Calls to shut schools down and encourage South Africans to work from home are being echoed across the country.