Of the 75 land, sea and airports around the country, 35 were shut down last week.

The army will be deployed by the commander in chief President Cyril Ramaphosa in line with the State of Disaster Act.

The amended state of disaster regulations have taken away individual rights to refuse treatment in order to enforce the lockdown.

Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu has also guaranteed grant recipients will be paid on time.

The death caused panic, with witnesses saying he had difficulty breathing, raising suspicions that he may have contracted the coronavirus.

The minister has confirmed there are at least 554 cases of the virus here in South Africa, but 19 of these were unallocated.

Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Lindiwe Sisulu said many South Africans had criticised continued messages about the importance of washing hands with water, asking where they would get the water to do this.

The minister said the first batch of 76 students who were at The Ranch after arriving from Wuhan all tested negative but were awaiting one more test before they could be reintegrated.

An inter-ministerial committee is briefing the media on details of government interventions following President Ramaphosa's announcement of the 21-day lockdown in South Africa amid the spread of COVID-19.

Each African country will get 20,000 testing kits, 100,000 masks and 1,000 protective suits – all donated by Chinese billionaire Jack Ma.

The council has assessed measures that were announced last week to curb the spread of COVID-19 but 274 cases have now been confirmed.

President Cyril Ramaphosa met the leaders of various organisations including Cope, the Inkatha Freedom Party, African Transformation Movement and the United Democratic Movement at the Union Buildings this morning.

The President is expected to address the country on Sunday afternoon, amid calls for even more stringent action to clamp down on the spread of COVID-19.

Presidency spokesperson Khusela Diko said the council, which is chaired by Ramaphosa, will meet to consider recommendations on economic relief measures to help mitigate the impact of coronavirus.

Managers of places that will sell liquor beyond the designated hours will be charged.

Joburg EMS spokesperson Nana Radebe said the young man between 20 and 30-years-old may have drowned less than 24 hours ago.

The Lesotho Association of Teachers said the education ministry’s decision to continue the feeding scheme programme contradicts government efforts to battle the spread of the coronavirus.

Tom Thabane declared a state of emergency on Wednesday but unlike his neighbours in the region, he was mum on countries like China, Italy, the UK and the US.