Mkhize: Africa has recorded 7 confirmed cases of coronavirus
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says there are currently seven confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the African continent.
The countries that have reported cases of the virus are Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt and Morocco.
Mkhize briefed Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Health on Wednesday morning and provided an update on government's readiness to detect and treat the coronavirus within the country's borders.
"Of the seven cases, four of those cases have a history of contact with Italy, so it begins to indicate to us that this is a challenge."
READ: Coronavirus: Details of how 147 S.Africans in quarantined Wuhan will be repatriated
Mkhize says there are still only two South Africans who have contracted the virus aboard the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship in Japan.
"In South Africa, we have estimated about 3000 citizens in different parts of China, and therefore the concern was that a large number of students and teachers are in the Harbin province in Wuhan city."
He adds that once the infected South Africans test negative, they will be allowed to return to the country.
The Minister did not want to elaborate on the exact location of where the more than 150 South Africans will be held in quarantine, once they arrive back in South African from China.
