For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Madiba.

Making headlines: ANC welcomes stringent measures to mitigate coronavirus outbreak; Gauteng health department not conducting mass coronavirus screenings at this stage; And, US officials say Tuesday votes to proceed despite coronavirus

 

ANC welcomes stringent measures to mitigate coronavirus outbreak

The ANC’s National Working Committee has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recently announced measures for dealing with the coronavirus or Covid-19 outbreak and urged the cooperation of all South Africans to prevent the spread of the virus.

Ramaphosa declared the virus a national disaster on Sunday and has imposed measures such as travel bans from high risk countries, restrictions on gatherings of more than 100 people, school closures, port shutdowns and visa cancellations.

Meanwhile, the Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation will increase the provision of water and sanitation in high-density public areas, informal settlements and rural areas in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak in South Africa.

Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Lindiwe Sisulu announced the intervention as a measure to curb the further spread of the virus.

 

Gauteng health department not conducting mass coronavirus screenings at this stage

While panic grips the country following President Cyril Ramaphosa's declaration that the coronavirus outbreak is a national disaster, the Gauteng health department says that it will not be conducting mass screenings at this stage.

This comes after members of the public flocked to Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital to have themselves screened for the deadly virus which first emerged in Wuhan, in China.

There are 62 confirmed cases in South Africa.

Spokesperson for the health department, Kwara Kekana, said specialised public hospitals were guided by National Institute for Communicable Diseases criteria when dealing with suspected cases, urging members of the public to approach their local GPs who have the authority to refer them.

 

And, US officials say Tuesday votes to proceed despite coronavirus

The four states scheduled to hold primary elections in the United States today are promising that the votes will go on despite increasing calls for them to be postponed or delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The governors' offices of Florida, Illinois, and Ohio yesterday said that they are pushing forward with the voting even as some county elections officials conceded that some poll workers - many of them elderly or retired people - are dropping out for fear of catching the Covid-19 disease associated with the coronavirus.

Arizona, also scheduled to vote today, was expected to proceed as well. So far, two states - Georgia and Louisiana - have said they will postpone their primary elections.

Georgians were scheduled to vote on March 24 and voters in Louisiana on April 4.

The states will now vote in May and June.

 

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter [@Polity ZA]