South Africa will increase social assistance to help poor households suffering due to restrictions due to the coronavirus, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Monday, explaining that the closure has revealed "a very sad failure in our society that reveals how the extreme poverty, inequality and unemployment are tearing the fabric of our communities. " Africa's most industrialized country is one of the most unequal in the world, with very different living conditions for those at the top and bottom of the income pyramid. "Food support is a short-term emergency measure. It must be accompanied by sustainable solutions that help our most vulnerable citizens overcome the difficult times that are yet to come." Ramaphosa's cabinet meets Monday to discuss new measures to cushion the economic and social impact of covid-19, including whether to shut down South African Airways, a major drain on state resources in recent years.
The virus continues to advance on the continent. At 20:00 (Spanish time) it has already exceeded 22,800 infected and there are 1,144 deaths from coronavirus. As always, the figures should be taken with caution since the collection of data in many countries is complicated. By number of cases, the country with the highest number of infected persons reported is, for the first time, Egypt, which with 3,333 affected surpasses South Africa (3,158). They are followed by Morocco (2,990), Algeria (2,629). The latter is the one that heads the black list of deaths from the disease, with 375. Egypt has reported 250 deaths, Morocco 143 and South Africa 54.
In addition, the policy of confinement continues in most African countries except in one, Ghana, where this Sunday night President Nana Akufo-Addo announced the suspension of the stay-at-home order he imposed three weeks ago in the main population centers of Ghana. This decision will help, according to the president, "to expand the tracking of infected people." In the rest of the continent, however, the trend is the opposite: After the extension of Morocco and Algeria, this Sunday the President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has announced that he will take the same measure to contain the spread of the new coronavirus. It will extend the situation by two weeks. Three people died from the virus out of 25 confirmed infected in the South African nation, but health experts expect the numbers to rise once authorities increase testing.
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