ANALYSIS: National state of disaster ends before court deadline to amend lockdown regulations

While the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has ordered that the lockdown regulations, which were declared invalid and unconstitutional, be amended within 14 days, the national state of disaster is set to lapse before that deadline.

Coronavirus morning update: Concern over Eastern Cape, and latest on court bids over cigarettes

The Eastern Cape is showing the "same pattern that drove up the outbreak" in the Western Cape; and the government asks for more time to defend the cigarette ban in court.

The Covid-19 death toll has increased by 37, taking the number to 792.

The number of cases now sits at 37 525. The Western Cape remains the epicentre with 24 657, followed by Gauteng with 4 567 and the Eastern Cape with 4 526. 

There have been 19 682 recoveries. 

Here are the top stories of the day  

A court has ruled that patients cannot be forced into quarantine so long as they are able to self-isolate. The matter was taken to court by AfriForum. This is the second court blow to the government’s Covid-19 regulations in two days.

The body of a fifth-year medical student who died in Cuba on 29 April is stuck in Havana because of the Covid-19 lockdown. Sibusiso Qongqo died after a short illness. His family has tried, so far in vain, to get the government to repatriate his body.

Minister of Defence Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has denied that there is a report with findings into the death of Collins Khoza at the hands of defence force members. She insists the inquiry into Khosa's death is still ongoing, despite it appearing as an attachment to papers filed at a court.

Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Buti Manamela says tertiary institutions will be required to have quarantine facilities set up before students return, and all students would need to be screened. Residences, lecture halls and dining areas will need to undergo deep cleans.

The SA Human Rights Commission says it is satisfied with the Department of Basic Education’s undertaking to amend its back to school plans, and will therefore be holding off turning to the courts. The SAHRC had on Tuesday threatened the department with court action over the way reopening of schools has been handled.

The tobacco war rages on, and this time the government has asked for a postponement in one of the court cases it is facing to challenge the tobacco ban. The hearing was set to take place this week. The Fair Trade Tobacco Association has taken the government to court to allow for the sale of tobacco. 

Stay informed with News24

The epicentre | Here’s why those aged below 55 won’t be tested in Cape Town
Talking point | Can I be with my child in a Covid-19 quarantine facility?
Domestic workers can return to work | But they will have to abide by conditions
FAQs | News24 answers all your questions
Checklist | These are the first symptoms
Rolling coverage | All the latest Covid-19 news in one place

- Compiled by Kerushun Pillay

WHO to resume treatment trials, Italy opens for Europeans - International Covid-19 news

The World Health Organisation announced on Wednesday that clinical trials of the drug hydroxychloroquine will resume as it searches for potential coronavirus treatments.

The Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum was forced to launch an appeal for funding on Wednesday after two months under a coronavirus lockdown that saw revenue from visitors dry up.

Italy reopened to travellers from Europe on Wednesday, three months after going into coronavirus lockdown, but sparse arrivals dimmed hopes of reviving the key tourism industry as the summer season begins. 

protests tinged by violence broke out late Tuesday in four Senegalese towns over a night-time anti-coronavirus curfew, prompting an appeal for calm by a major Muslim leader, AFP has learnt. 

Armed gang pretending to be healthcare workers hit pension pay point

Pensioners, who were ready to receive their grant money, had to be sent back home after an armed gang pretending to be Covid-19 healthcare workers allegedly robbed a pay point in a suburb in Pietermartizburg.

According to the police, the four men were dressed in white overcoats and entered the business premises in Scottsville through the main entrance at 08:15.

At gunpoint, the gang then forced both the employee and the manager to lie on the floor, while they removed all the cash from the safe.

US suspends flights by Chinese airlines, Sweden admits virus response was poor - International Covid-19 news

The US on Tuesday ordered the suspension of all flights by Chinese airlines into and out of the country after Beijing failed to allow American carriers to resume service to China.

And Sweden's top epidemiologist says there was room for improvement in the country's controversial softer approach to curbing the spread of Covid-19, but maintained he still had faith in the strategy.

Germany will lift its blanket travel warning for European nations from 15 June, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Wednesday, as the continent looks to further ease restrictions imposed to contain the coronavirus. 

France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands have forged an alliance to speed up the production of a vaccine "on European soil" against the new coronavirus, Dutch officials say.

Pictured: A metabolic therapy session at the Oktyabrsky health resort in Russia. Health resorts holding medical licences have resumed operation with coronavirus lockdown restrictions eased. (Getty Images)

PODCAST | Covid-19 Chronicles: Urgent measures needed to address testing backlog crisis

The government urgently needs to address the deepening crisis of the Covid-19 testing backlog. South Africa is just one country in the queue as countries around the world need testing kits and demand outstrips supply.

Listen to the latest episode here:

Catch up with previous episodes:

There has been widespread criticism of the lockdown, with many now calling for an ease to the regulations - especially on the business front. Some critics have mirrored the current set up to a police state.

The restaurant industry continues to suffer under the prolonged lockdown. In another episode, we look at some restaurants which are facing liquidation, and employees who have been left high and dry.

The pandemic has left the country’s poor facing starvation - but is the government able to meet the giant task of providing food for those in need? Community activists warned that there could be chaos if food isn’t regularly and easily available. 

Body of SA medical student trapped in Cuba for over a month due to lockdown

Sibusiso Qongqo was due to return home for good in July to undergo in-service training at a local hospital after completing his medical studies in Cuba.

His distraught family has been lobbying the South African government to help repatriate his body.

Covid-19 tests: This is why those under 55 without comorbidities will not be tested in Cape Town

A nationwide backlog in tests and delays of up to seven to 12 days has made testing for high-risk individuals even more difficult. This has contributed to a decision by the Western Cape government to prioritise testing only for those at-risk groups.

Level 3 lockdown: Airports and airlines gear up for opening, but not many travellers expected

Airlines and airports are readying for the lifting of some travel restrictions under Level 3 of the lockdown - but, according to FlySafair, not many travellers are expected at airports.

Executive manager and chief marketing officer at FlySafair, Kirby Gordon, told News24 the airline was excited to get its aircraft off the ground again, but was not expecting planes to be full.

7 children in Covid-19 ward at Cape Town's Red Cross hospital

Seven children are in a dedicated Covid-19 ward at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital in Cape Town.

This was reported to News24 on Wednesday by the hospital's head of paediatric emergency care, Dr Heloise Buys.

OPINION | As ICUs fill up in the Western Cape, some lockdown measures may have to be reconsidered

The substantial relaxation of South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown measures from this week was probably both inevitable and the right decision. But with ICU capacity in the Western Cape already stretched, and infections in the province rising rapidly, one or two measures may need to be reconsidered, argues Spotlight’s Marcus Low.

No student will enter campus without being screened, says higher education deputy minister

From 15 June, under Level 3, a maximum of 33% of students will be allowed to return to campuses and residences as long as they can been accommodated in line with health and safety protocols.

OPINION | After Collins Khosa and George Floyd – learning how to breathe again

Collins Khosa’s death may not be the moment that creates the energy that we see sweeping across America, but it should be, writes Rekgotsofetse Chikane.

Both men, for differing reasons, died in a world that failed to protect them. 

OPINION | This is what I learnt in lockdown

Lockdown has been a time of learning and self-discovery for many South Africans. Howard Feldman explores what he and those around him have learnt over the past sixty days.

Covid-19 has taught me that numbers can be manipulated, that graphs and statistics are fun and are often fictitious.  

SA Reserve Bank rules out financing government budget deficit

South Africa’s central bank ruled out helping the government fund its runaway budget deficit by paying for its spending through loans, as the ruling party debates using the institution to fund infrastructure and development.

SAHRC satisfied for now as education dept complies with Covid-19 deadline on regulations

The amended regulations condone the Western Cape's decision to open schools on 1 June, according to the SAHRC.

The Chapter 9 institution gave the basic education minister until 14:00 on Wednesday to indicate if Covid-19 back-to-school regulations would be amended again.

Mapisa-Nqakula denies there is a report with findings into Collins Khosa's death

"As far as I'm concerned there is no report," Mapisa-Nqakula said. 

Mapisa-Nqakula said neither she, nor her deputy, has received a report from the board of inquiry, adding that the chief of the SANDF sent the report back, as they had not fulfilled the full terms of reference.

Covid-19 wrap: Global vaccine group urges solidarity, Sweden admits failures, Austria opens borders

These SA businesses may not have survived lockdown

The South African economy looks set to emerge from the coronavirus crisis with up to 1.8 million fewer jobs – as thousands of businesses are not expected to survive the turmoil.

State requests more time to defend cigarette ban in court

State attorney Arista Wasserman has written to Judge President Dunstan Mlambo of Gauteng to request that the initial hearing in the challenge against the ban being brought by the Fair Trade Tobacco Association be postponed, in light of the pressures facing Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, including the national state of disaster

Covid-19 wrap: US records 1 081 more deaths, Brazil death toll tops 30 000 and Italy reopens borders

The novel coronavirus killed another 1 081 people in the United States in the 24 hours leading up to 20:30 (00:30 GMT) on Tuesday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Sadtu, Cosatu vow to lay criminal charges should staff, pupils get infected at schools

Sadtu and Cosatu say they "reject the notion of a Republic of the Western Cape" after schooling resumed in the province while those in the rest of the country remain shut.

FIRST TAKE: Court judgment shows why government should always be challenged

This government must always be checked and kept honest, writes Pieter du Toit.

Rural Eastern Cape school beats the odds to get ready for Covid-19 despite limited resources

A well-managed rural Eastern Cape boarding school, which continuously produces top matric achievers despite limited resources, continues to punch above its weight.

This time, Nyanga High School in Ngcobo is putting up a brave fight against the Covid-19 pandemic by ensuring all its 209 Grade 12 pupils have personal protective equipment and are in class learning.   

Delay the reopening of schools and focus on building marginalised communities, says education expert

While some education experts agree challenges facing the country's schooling system disadvantages some pupils more than others, they are at odds on whether to reopen schools or not.    

INFOGRAPHICS | Western Cape Covid-19 outbreak three weeks ahead of SA

Covid-19 has hit the Western Cape harder, and faster, than any other part of the country. Is it providing us with a snapshot of what is to come elsewhere, or will it be our New York, a tragic exception?

'We will have to live with this Covid-19': Experts weigh in on SA's post-virus economy

While it is widely accepted that the world economy will be remarkably different post-coronavirus, it is just as important to manage the South African economy within the context of facing the challenge of the pandemic which could possibly last for the next two years, according to Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago.

Rural Eastern Cape school beats the odds to get ready for Covid-19 despite limited resources

Nyanga High School in Ngcobo is putting up a brave fight against the Covid-19 pandemic by ensuring all its 209 Grade 12 pupils have personal protective equipment (PPE) and are in class learning.   

Coronavirus fact check: Does the 'recycled' air on planes really put you at a high risk of infection?

Airlines are preparing to take to the sky again as South Africa eases its national coronavirus lockdown to allow for domestic business travel. Here's what you need to know about air travel in the time of Covid-19:

Coronavirus morning update: Judge rules lockdown regulations invalid, and latest on testing in CT

Your latest coronavirus news: A judge has declared lockdown Levels 4 and 3 unconstitutional and invalid; and testing in Cape Town - those most at risk to be prioritised.

Another 50 people have died of Covid-19, bringing the death toll has risen to 755, while the number of cases now sits at 35 812.

Here are the top stories of the day

A court has declared the Level 3 and Level 4 lockdown regulations to be unconstitutional and invalid, and has given the government 14 days to formulate changes. A scathing judgment said the regulations do not show how they will slow down the spread of Covid-19. 

The SA Human Rights Commission has threatened Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and the MEC for Education in the Western Cape, Debbie Schäfer, with legal action over the way the reopening of schools has been handled. The SAHRC has asked Motshekga to provide alternative arrangements for schools that are struggling to comply with new regulations. Schäfer, meanwhile, has to account for why her province opened schools when the rest of the country decided to hold off for a week. 

In more back to school drama, a consignment of personal protective equipment appears to have been stolen from Umlazi, Pinetown and Zululand in KwaZulu-Natal. The equipment appears to have disappeared en route to circuit offices and schools. 

The battle to get tobacco legalised again continues to rage on. Now, tobacco giant British American Tobacco has argued in court that the emotional well-being of smokers is being harmed during the government’s tobacco ban.

Sport24 has reported on the Premier Soccer League’s new protocols for continuing the game under Covid-19. These include players and staff undergoing testing before training, teams having to put in place physical distancing measures and teams must have daily screenings and temperature checks. 

As the economy begins to get on its feet and air travel gets slowly introduced, airline FlySafair is allowing customers concerned about Covid-19 to block the seat next to theirs to prevent anyone from sitting next to them. 

And finally, a strip club in Port Elizabeth is advertising a “strip-through”, where a person can get a show without leaving their car. Candy’s Revue Bar is also offering alcohol to be brought to customers’ cars.

International headlines 

The global economy is facing "staggeringly large" losses and the recovery effort is hampered by a shortage of resources to make up for the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the World Bank says.

Equatorial Guinea has told a WHO representative based in the country to leave, accusing her of "falsifying" the country's tally of coronavirus cases, according to the government and the UN health agency.

Zimbabwean security forces on Tuesday cleared Harare's city centre and turned back thousands of commuters and motorists as authorities reinforced restrictions to combat the spread of coronavirus following a spike in new cases.

Stay informed with News24

Level 3 | Here’s what is and what is not allowed
Talking point | Can I be with my child in a Covid-19 quarantine facility?
Domestic workers can return to work | But they will have to abide by conditions
FAQs | News24 answers all your questions
Checklist | These are the first symptoms
Rolling coverage | All the latest Covid-19 news in one place

- Compiled by Kerushun Pillay

WHO accused of 'falsifying' a country's virus tally, more promising results for Spain - International Covid-19 news

Equatorial Guinea has told a WHO representative based in the country to leave, accusing her of "falsifying" the country's tally of coronavirus cases, according to the government and the UN health agency.

And, Spain recorded no deaths from the coronavirus for the second day running, the health ministry reported Tuesday, while acknowledging some "discrepancies" in the reported daily figures.

Zimbabwean security forces on Tuesday cleared Harare's city centre and turned back thousands of commuters and motorists as authorities reinforced restrictions to combat the spread of coronavirus following a spike in new cases.

Teachers in the West African state of Mali went on strike on Tuesday, the first day schools reopened after being closed for two months, over fears of inadequate protection against coronavirus.