The Department of Health reports that the confirmed number of coronavirus cases in South Africa has now jumped to 116 cases.

This means that a further 31 cases have been identified, following the overnight announcement that cases reached 85 in the country.

The new cases include cases in Gauteng, KZN, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape, and includes six new cases of internal transmission.

“As part of tracking and tracing, we have collated background information on how these patients were infected. We will provide information to the public, so as to give a sense of how these local transmissions occur,” health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said.

Gautrain exposure

The Gautrain has announced that an executive at the operating company, who travelled on the system, tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus.

It has conducted a deep clean of its Sandton and Park stations as a result.

On 15 March, Bombela Operating Company was informed that a business unit director from the company tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Gautrain stated that in the days prior to his diagnosis, the executive had visited the Bombela offices in Midrand, Gauteng, as well as the Gautrain Park and Sandton stations.

“As a precautionary measure, all individuals who were in close contact with him have since been identified and have been advised to remain in self-isolation, as per WHO guidelines,” the company said.

“On Sunday night, the BOC office, Sandton, and Park stations have been chemically decontaminated.”

The business unit director had travelled to South Africa from France, and is currently in self-isolation.

These are the latest confirmed cases:

Gauteng – 16

A 25 year old male who travelled to the UK

A 45 year old male who travelled to Austria

A 52 year old male who travelled to Austria and Italy

A 49 year old female who travelled to Austria and Italy

A 35 year old male who travelled to the UK and Netherlands

A 34 year old female who travelled to the UK

A 30 year old female who travelled to Switzerland and Austria

A 36 year old female who travelled to Switzerland and Austria

A 30 year old female who travelled to Italy

A 35 year old male who travelled to Italy

A 34 year old male who travelled to Italy

A 37 year old male who travelled to Finland and France

A 20 year old male with no international travel history

A 3 year old male with no international travel history

A 21 year old female with no international travel history

A 71 year old female with no international travel history

KZN – 3

A 59 year old male who travelled to Austria and Italy

A 54 year old male who travelled to Italy

A 55 year old male who travelled to Italy

Mpumalanga – 2

A 64 year old male who travelled to Italy

A 56 year old female with no international travel history

Western Cape – 10

A 2 year old male who travelled to New Zealand

A 51 year old male who travelled to Egypt and Dubai

A 35 year old female who travelled to Switzerland and Dubai

A 27 year old female who travelled to Switzerland and Dubai

A 60 year old male who travelled to Portugal and the UK

A 51 year old male who travelled to the UK

A 54 year old female who travelled to Portugal and the UK

A 51 year old male who travelled to the UK

A 26 year old female who travelled to the UK

A 68 year old male with no international travel history

South Africa has declared the Covid-19 pandemic a state of disaster, and is encouraging social distancing as a way to prevent the rapid spread of the virus among the population.

Schools and universities will close from today (18 March), and many businesses are taking extraordinary measures to sanitise workplaces, or even have employees work from home.

International and domestic travel is being discouraged, and gatherings of 100 people or more are being called off.

Further measures include travel bans from high risk countries, and closing around half the country’s ports of entry.

Meanwhile, National Treasury has encouraged businesses to remain open and continue operations as normal, as far as they can, to protect the economy by keeping economic activity up.

Read: Social distancing: what South Africa’s government wants you to avoid, and what is safe to do