South Africa is launching an aggressive coronavirus screening program as the total number of confirmed cases tops 1,000, the largest amount of any country on the continent.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Monday night that at least 10,000 field workers will be going door-to-door in the next few days to conduct mass screenings and testing for the virus.

South Africa is already observing a 21-day lockdown aimed at containing the virus.

Police have arrested scores of people for violating the lockdown.

Ramaphosa said there are 1,326 confirmed cases of the virus in South Africa and three people have died.

So far, more than 5,000 people have tested positive for the coronavirus across Africa and 173 deaths reported.