Reportedly, two men in South Africa have been accused of attempted murder after going out in public despite testing positive for coronavirus.
During a press conference on Wednesday, March 25, police minister Bheki Cele announced the charges, alleging that the men had put others at risk of contracting the virus.
He stated;
“If you break these laws of regulations you are six months in, or fined, or both.
“Two people have been charged already… who deliberately moved around after they were told.
“So it’s not a fairytale to say the law will act and act very harsh on you. The first case was a 52-year old salon owner diagnosed with coronavirus on March 18 and instructed to quarantine for at least 14 days.
“The second charge was filed against a male tourist who tested positive for Covid-19 while on holiday at Kruger National Park.”
According to police spokesperson Vish Naidoo, the first suspect was apprehended on Tuesday, March 24, following reports from local officials of a coronavirus case being observed in the western city of Ladysmith, in KwaZulu-Natal province.
The foreign tourist, who also tested positive for the virus, allegedly disregarded instructions to remain in his hotel, and interacted “with an unknown number of people” in the nearby town of Saint Lucia before being detained.
Despite the announcement of a 21-day lockdown by President Cyril Ramaphosa beginning on Thursday, March 26, South Africa has reported the highest number of coronavirus infections on the continent, with 709 confirmed cases so far.