South Africa has recorded a surge in the number of new coronavirus cases prompting the government to consider strict regulations to curb the spread of the novel virus.
Health minister Zweli Mkhize said South Africa has registered more than 10 000 daily cases as infections surge at an aggressive speed.
South Africa had managed to contain the coronavirus when the first wave stroke and numbers of daily new cases were ranging around 1 000.
On Monday, the figure had risen to around 8 000, prompting President Cyril Ramaphosa to announce new restrictions, in particular a curfew from 11 pm and the closure of some beaches in the southeast at the start of the southern hemisphere summer.
Minister Mkhize tweeted late Wednesday:
Today we have breached the ten thousand mark for new cases. Our daily cases are growing exponentially.
Our beaches are known for overcrowding during this time and people tend to be carefree.
He further urged holidaymakers who may be heading to those beaches that are open “to ensure that it does not become a day of regret where people get infected and lives are lost”.
South Africa had as of late Wednesday, recorded 23 827 deaths from 883 687 cases which constitutes more than a third of the coronavirus cases reported across the African continent.
More: The Strait Times