By Staff Reporter and Roland Mpofu
Durban - An additional 8195 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in South Africa bringing the country's number of Covid-19 cases to date, to 511 485 .
On Sunday the Health Ministry announced that the number of people who have died from Covid-19 has increased by 213 to 8366.
Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize said the Free State recorded 51 new deaths, 25 in the Eastern Cape, 31 in KwaZulu-Natal, 40 in Gauteng, 43 in the Western Cape 23 in Limpopo.
On a positive note, National Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize, announced that 347 227 people have recovered from Covid-19 in SA which translates to a recovery rate of 68%.
Mkhize said 3 036 779 tests have been done to date with 34 794 completed in the last 24 hours.
Meanwhile health experts slammed the call made by the embattled Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku to reintroduce hard lockdown regulations, especially targeting Gauteng, saying that it lacked “science” and has caused economic hardships to the ordinary citizens.
Masuku said the call was an attempt to curb soaring Covid-19 numbers. He said lockdown measures - including a ban on alcohol and the curfew - would help stem the spread of the virus he said was threatening to overwhelm the health system.
In March, Masuku said the province was ready for a projected increase in Covid-19 cases, citing the conversion of the Nasrec exhibition centre into a field hospital.
Yet when it was clear that the numbers were rising, he rushed to the national government to intervene by bringing in more restrictions, including the deployment of the army.
As if to heed Masuku’s request, President Cyril Ramaphosa soon after announced a ban on alcohol and introduced a 9pm (has been changed to 10pm) to 4am curfew.