Editor

A young South African woman who has recovered from the coronavirus (COVID-19) says citizens of all ages and races need to take the deadly disease seriously and obey the regulations set by government. 
Ncebakazi Willie (27), from the rural village of Xhora in the Eastern Cape, contracted the virus when she was working on a cruise ship in March. 

“The cruise ship had stopped in Italy, where the virus was starting to get very serious. There were a lot of people dying there.”

The world is increasingly connected and as physical contact is restricted by the coronavirus pandemic, people are finding innovative ways to share their work.

A young artist has published her artwork online as the coronavirus continues disrupting life as we know it.

Stellenbosch University Fine Arts graduate Alexandra Edmayr used a picture of a plastic bag and photoshopped it to create a piece of art that was published as part of the #MaterialsMatterChallenge by the Iziko Museums of South Africa. 

The Future Stars Theatre Project in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, has collaborated with a Pretoria-based music recording company to produce a dance that teaches the youth about the importance of hygiene during the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Future Stars’ Roger Ntuli (38) says the choreography brings to life a song about the virus that was recorded by Chaithoo Studio artists Ria, Diya, Dinesh ‘Mr D’ Chaithoo and Prince ‘Shembry’ Sithole. 

Ntuli says the nine- to 14-year-old dancers came up with the choreography and the dance is being shared virally.

The National Credit Regulator (NCR) has urged consumers to be careful of fake credit provider scams, as South Africa continues the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In a remarkable show of support, accommodation establishments in South Africa have joined hands to provide beds to doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals working on the frontlines of fighting the coronavirus (COVID-19). 

Ubuntu Beds was founded by Kim Whitaker, a Cape Town-based tourism entrepreneur. Whitaker contracted COVID-19 herself after a trip to Germany. This gave her the initial idea to unite hospitality businesses, which now have empty beds due to the lockdown, in offering accommodation to healthcare workers. 

Door-to-door household screening, initially in areas identified as high-risk, is one of government’s proactive responses to the coronavirus pandemic.

Government is ramping up the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) with new mobile testing labs. The National Health Laboratory Service has bought 60 mobile sampling and testing units, bringing the number of mobile units that will be used across the country to 67. 

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says government is planning to use rapid mobile testing labs to speed up the testing process. 

It is of great importance for people to adhere to the rules set by government, say twin brothers who were at the heart of the Chinese coronavirus outbreak.

Medical students at China’s Hubei Polytechnic University, Mvuzo and Mvuyisi Nkcosolwana-Vili (28) saw with their own eyes how practising social distancing and adhering to the regulations put in place by government can stop the spread of the pandemic. 

There has been a heartwarming response to government’s call to people to donate to a fund established to respond to the coronavirus through prevention, detection, care and support.

South Africa’s Solidarity Fund, which was established by government after consultation with social partners, raised R2 billion in its first two weeks. 

Virtual learning, support material and plans for post-lockdown catch-up are some of the ways that South African learners are being enabled to complete 2020’s curriculum.

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has partnered with the SABC to launch a multi-media learner support initiative, which will be available to learners throughout 2020. 

The COVID-19 learner support initiative was launched less than two weeks into the lockdown, in the beginning of April. It is part of efforts to prevent a total loss of the school year.

With hand washing and general hygiene essential to combatting the coronavirus, government has put emergency measures in place to assist communities without access to water.

As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to spread, government is working to bring relief to water scarce communities. The Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation (HSWS) has delivered tanks and water-carting trucks to communities across the country.