South Africa trains resume amid strict virus control protocols

After almost 100 days of closure, the South African passenger rail service is operating again as the country’s lockdown restrictions ease up.

Passenger numbers are limited, masks are mandatory, and the trains are sanitised after each trip. South Africa is still heading towards its COVID-19 outbreak peak, and some passengers worry that more could be done to keep them safe.

Passengers are encouraged to arrive at stations wearing facial masks and observe physical distancing. The country’s virus figures continue to shoot up – at a point accounting for a third of cases in Africa.

• Confirmed cases = 159,333
• Active cases = 80,559
• Recoveries = 76,025
• Number of deaths = 2,749