Four more test positive for coronavirus
The number of people who have tested positive for coronavirus in South Africa has risen to seven.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize led a press briefing by the inter-ministerial task team dealing with the outbreak in Pretoria on Monday.
Mkhize confirmed that four more people have tested positive, bringing the total number to seven.
The four new cases are all part of the group of 10 who travelled to Italy for a ski holiday together with the 38-year-old man from Pietermaritzburg, who was the first person to test positive.
"One is a couple in KZN, they have been placed on quarantine but have not been admitted to hospital, the lady had symptoms when they arrived but the gentleman did not. Another person is a 45-year-old man in Pietermaritzburg and a 38-year-old man also in Pietermaritzburg," said Mkhize.
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"The 60-year-old German citizen showed symptoms of a fever (and) checked into Hurghada hospital on 6 March," before testing positive for COVID-19, it said in a statement. The tourist, who arrived from Germany a week ago, died after having refused to be transferred to an isolation ward until 7 March once his breathing had been affected by "acute pneumonia".
The minister said only nine of the touring party came back to South Africa, with one travelling to the United Kingdom.
Mkhize said they are still awaiting the test results for the two other people.
He said a team from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) is tracking down the people who may have been in contact with this group since they arrived back in the country on March 1.