• Another 19 people died of Covid-19 in the Western Cape by Thursday as the death toll in the province reached 403, Premier Alan Winde said.
• It also had 718 people admitted to hospital, and of those, 157 are in intensive care, or high care units.
• As of 13:00, the province had 7 726 active cases and 17 286 confirmed cases.

The number of people who have died of the coronavirus in the Western Cape reached 403 by Thursday after 19 more cases were recorded by 13:00.

However, there were 9 157 recoveries out of the massive 17 286 cases.

From 1 June, Grade 7 and 12 pupils will be returning to school, alcohol will be sold again, and more businesses will be allowed to open. 

However, the Department of Health has identified certain hotspots, and the SA National Defence Force's military health services will be helping it with scanning and the general compliance of regulations. 

The hotspots were named by President Cyril Ramaphosa as Tshwane, Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City, Cape Town, the West Coast, Overberg and Cape Winelands district municipalities in the Western Cape, Chris Hani District in the Eastern Cape, and the iLembe District in KwaZulu-Natal.

The province has conducted 136 597 tests so far. 

It has also put in place isolation and quarantine sites throughout the province, and procured extra beds at private facilities.