The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in South Africa has risen to more than 900 on the eve of an unprecedented lockdown being implemented by the government to slow the spread of the disease.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said during his virtual G20 summit address on Thursday that the coronavirus tally in the country now stood at 927 – an increase of 218 cases in 24 hours – adding, “we fear that it might rise much further than that”.

The latest infection figures were released by the health department as the country prepared for a three-week lockdown to begin at midnight on Thursday and last until April 16th.

During this period most people in South Africa are prohibited from leaving their homes unless for essential purposes, including shopping for food and medication, seeking medical treatment or picking up social grants.

Gatherings banned

Health workers, emergency personnel, security services and people involved in the production, distribution and supply of food and basic goods are among those deemed exempt from the restrictions.

All gatherings, except for small funerals, have been banned. So too has the movement of people between provinces, metros and district areas, a measure to be enforced by police at roadblocks across the country.

Despite government assurances that there will be no shortage of food or essential items over the next three weeks, large queues formed at supermarkets and banks across the country ahead of the midnight deadline.

On Wednesday, South Africa’s police minister Bheki Cele warned that people who flout the movement restrictions could be fined or sent to jail for up to six months.

“There shall be no movement, you will not be out walking your dog or going for a run [during the lockdown],” Mr Cele told reporters in Pretoria.

Movement restrictions

South Africans have also been warned that it is a criminal offence to refuse isolation once a person is diagnosed with coronavirus, or Covid-19 as it is also known, and that those who do so could face lengthy jail sentences.

On Thursday, defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula confirmed in a press conference that armed soldiers would be deployed to conduct foot patrols in urban and rural areas for the duration of the lockdown, and to support police to enforce the movement restrictions.

“They [the soldiers] are adequately prepared [to carry out their duties] and there will certainly be no application of force,” Ms Mapisa-Nqakula said.

The drastic restrictions were introduced by Mr Ramapahosa on Monday in a bid to avoid a scenario in which hundreds of thousands of people are infected by Covid-19 in a matter of weeks.

Mr Ramaphosa said such a situation would be extremely dangerous for the country’s population of 57 million, as many South Africans struggle with suppressed immunity because they suffered from HIV/Aids or tuberculosis.