Covid-19: 10,000 Chinese and Iranian visas to be revoked by South Africa.
South Africa is set to revoke around 10,000 visas that were given out this year to the citizens of China and Iran as a result of the new coronavirus, and visas will now be needed for other high-risk countries that had been visa-free, such as; Italy and the United States.
South Africa’s Minister of Health, Zweli Mkhize, said that a total shutdown might be necessary if the new measures announced on Sunday, such as travel restrictions and school closures, do not prove effective.
The official warned of the high risk of transmission of the new coronavirus due to “the problem of inequality” in South African society.
In addition to revoking the 10,000 visas, the South African authorities now require a visa from people from countries such as Italy or the United States of America – who previously did not require it.
South Africans fear that the transmission of the new coronavirus and the disease it causes, Covid -19, will be increased by groups of people in cities and public transport.
The confirmed cases in South Africa have doubled every two days, and the authorities have so far reported 61 cases, a rate that the minister says is “explosive.” Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
The new coronavirus responsible for the pandemic of Covid -19 was detected in December in China and has caused more than 6,400 deaths worldwide.
The number of infected people is around 164 thousand people, with cases registered in at least 141 countries and territories.
The epicenter of the pandemic caused by the new coronavirus ( SARS – CoV -2) has moved from China to Europe, where there is the second most serious case, that of Italy, which announced 368 new deaths on Sunday and which has so far recorded 1,809 fatalities.
The number of infected people in Italy, where quarantine has been decreed in all regions, is almost 25,000, almost half of the approximately 52,000 confirmed cases in Europe, with more than 2,291 deaths.
By midnight on Saturday, local time, the death toll in mainland China, which excludes Macau and Hong Kong, rose to 3,199 after 13 more fatalities were counted.
In total, the country has 80,844 infected people, registering only 20 new cases, and the National Health Commission reported that, to date, 66,911 people have been discharged after they overcame the disease.
In addition to China and Italy, the other most affected countries are; Iran, with 724 dead (113 new), Spain, with 288 (152 new), and France, with 91 (11 new).
In view of the pandemic’s progress, several countries have adopted exceptional measures, including the quarantine regime initially enacted by China in the outbreak area.