S. Africa: volunteers hand out soaps to curtail spread of COVID-19

Volunteers in South Africa distribute soap bars and pamphlets to residents of the densely populated township of Diepsloot outside Johannesburg to raise awareness on how to prevent spread of COVID-19.

“Many of these areas don’t have running water, many don’t have sanitation. These are crowded communities, in one particular area you could find up to two million people, so if the virus comes to these particular areas, we have a major problem. We need to promote safety and personal hygiene here”, Yusuf Ambramjee said.

For David Makhura, Premier of Gauteng province, if they can defeat Apartheid, which he calls a monster, by working together, South Africans will defeat COVID-19.

South Africa has the highest number of cases on the continent, rising from one case two weeks ago to 202 on Friday.

Like many other countries on the continent, the Rainbow Nation has instituted drastic measures, including banning gatherings of more than 100 people, closing schools and suspending major cultural and sporting events.

The national carrier, South African Airways, has suspended all its regional and international flights until the end of May, in line with travel bans imposed by the government to curtail spread of the virus.

AFP