South Africa has 58 568 coronavirus cases and has conducted over 1 million tests, Health Minister Zweli Mkize said.

"This is no small feat", he said in a statement on Thursday about the completion of 1 028 399 Covid-19 tests.

The recovery rate is at 56.8% or 33 252 recoveries.

There are 1 284 deaths - 39 more from the Western Cape, 31 from the Eastern Cape and four from the North West,

Here are some of our top stories:

Cele slams ANC's anti-police brutality campaign, says alcohol ban shouldn't have been lifted

ANC national executive committee member Bheki Cele has accused his own party of unintentionally endorsing attacks on the police by criminals and communities with its anti-racism, anti-police brutality campaign.

Covid-19 patient goes missing at isolation facility in Nelson Mandela Bay

A security guard has been suspended after a Covid-19-positive patient disappeared from the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium's quarantine site in Port Elizabeth.

John Doch, 72, of Graaff-Reinet walked out of the 200-bed hospital on Friday afternoon after a guard allegedly deserted his post.

PODCAST | Covid-19 Chronicles: Hairdressers head back to court to demand reopening

How far does a virus spread in 10 hours in a hospital ward?

How fast does a virus really spread in a hospital? One simulation recently showed that it can take only 10 hours for a virus to contaminate 41% of all surfaces in a single hospital ward.

Cabinet wants scientists to weigh in before any new decisions are taken

The sanitiser sprayed on your hands by stores could lead to a "surge in lawsuits" if people develop health issues, underwriting firm SHA warns.

The vast, sudden increase in demand for sanitiser has meant retailers are using new suppliers and new products without doing proper background checks.

Bonginkosi Ntuli, a claims specialist at SHA, says retailers could potentially "face a surge of class actions and personal injury claims for negligence regarding the use of harmful products."

Cele slams ANC's anti-police brutality campaign, says alcohol ban shouldn't have been lifted

ANC national executive committee member Bheki Cele has accused his own party of unintentionally endorsing attacks on the police by criminals and communities with its anti-racism, anti-police brutality campaign.

WHO warns pandemic accelerating in Africa, 25% of cases in South Africa

The speed the new coronavirus jumped from 100 000 to 200 000 confirmed cases in Africa shows just how quickly the pandemic is accelerating on the continent, the World Health Organization said Thursday.

According to an AFP tally, Africa topped the 200 000 mark on Tuesday.

People residing and working in the Johannesburg city centre have raised fears about the spiralling cases of Covid-19 in the area.

According to figures released by the Gauteng Department of Health on Thursday, 821 people have tested positive, with 234 recoveries.

This is the highest number of cases in a suburb in the province. Thando Ndaba, who works and also resides in town, said she had heard over the radio that the CBD was now a hotspot.

Govt working on plan to re-open cinemas

In a new set of regulations, which were gazetted on Thursday, government says it is currently working with cinemas on the re-opening of movie theatres.

Cinemas are not allowed to operate during Level 3 of the national lockdown.

Covid-19 patient goes missing at isolation facility in Nelson Mandela Bay

A security guard has been suspended after a Covid-19-positive patient disappeared from the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium's quarantine site in Port Elizabeth.

John Doch, 72, of Graaff-Reinet walked out of the 200-bed hospital on Friday afternoon after a guard allegedly deserted his post. 

South Africa has 58 568 coronavirus cases, an increase of 3 147 from Wednesday.

Over 1 million tests have been done.

There are 33 252 recoveries.

Ninety-eight teachers in the Western Cape have contracted Covid-19, the province's head of the education department Brian Schreuder said.

He said that only people who had direct contact with them via a hug or a hand shake need consider themselves a direct contact for the purposes of isolating or quarantining.

Education MEC Debbie Schäfer said the names of the schools and teachers will not be publicised because once word gets out, principals who are already busy, are swamped with questions and visits.

A massive labour migration is starting in SA's mining industry post-lockdown

South Africa’s gold and platinum miners are racing to bring back thousands of skilled migrant workers who are crucial to ramping up output following the easing of the nation’s coronavirus lockdown.

For almost 150 years, South Africa’s deep-level mines relied on cheap labour from neighbouring Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Botswana.

They still account for about 10% of the industry’s 450 000-strong workforce, and their skills are key to rebooting the nation’s mines.

Virus, unemployment confront US as Europe resolves to open internal borders

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 416 343 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 11:00 GMT on Thursday.

At least 7 383 140 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 3 279 900 are now considered recovered.

Tourism, hospitality businesses fight back over rejected insurance claims for Covid-19 losses

Rejected Covid-19 insurance claims are increasingly affecting the South African tourism and hospitality sector, with hundreds of claimants saying they should be covered under business interruption.

Covid-19: Joburg Mayor Geoff Makhubo tests negative

City of Johannesburg mayor Geoff Makhubo has tested negative for Covid-19.

The latest developments come after Makhubo announced on Monday that he would undergo a test after a staff member in his office had tested positive.

Geoff Makhubo. (Felix Dlangamandla)

Virus cuts G20 GDP by record 3.4% in first quarter: OECD

Measures to curtail the coronavirus outbreak caused a 3.4% drop in GDP for the Group of 20 major economies in the first three months of 2020, the largest decline since records began in 1998, the OECD said on Thursday.

The steepest declines came in China, where the economy shrank 9.8% from the fourth quarter of 2019, and in France and Italy, down 5.3% each, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said.

These were among the first countries to impose drastic lockdowns against the virus.

- AFP

29 Eastern Cape schools close due to positive Covid-19 cases, 48 more have suspected cases

Teaching at 77 Eastern Cape schools has been affected within four days of reopening - some due to confirmed Covid-19 cases and others as a result of suspected cases.

Disinfecting and cleaning of a school classroom. (Felix Dlangamandla)

The Western Cape Covid test backlog is 3 727 - big drop from about two weeks ago of about 27 000 tests: Dr Cloete HOD health.

Now people getting result same day or following day. Tweet from @itchybyte

Gauteng gearing up for Covid-19 onslaught - Health MEC Bandile Masuku

Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku on Thursday said his department is taking measures to cope with the expected increase in Covid-19 infections. Gauteng is projected to have the highest number of cases by the end of the year.

Gauteng MEC for Health Bandile Masuku walks through the temperature detector at Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital in Pretoria North. (Gauteng Department of Health)

Some South Africans can now fly overseas - what you need to know

South Africans can fly overseas to return to their place of work, to study, or to go to their residence abroad - but there are strict rules about getting clearance.

Under new rules, medical aids don’t have to pay for tests on babies born to mothers with Covid-19

South African medical schemes don't have to automatically pay for Covid-19 tests of babies born to mothers known to have the disease, the Council for Medical Schemes said on Thursday.

Beijing lambastes Harvard coronavirus study as 'disinformation'

Beijing on Thursday criticised a preliminary study by US researchers suggesting the coronavirus may have been circulating in China since August 2019, calling it proof of a disinformation campaign.

The virus first emerged late last year in the central city of Wuhan, but the US has repeatedly accused China of a lack of transparency about the outbreak and its origins.

The new paper by researchers at Boston University and Harvard - which has not been peer-reviewed - analysed photos of parking lots at Wuhan hospitals and search trends on the Chinese search engine Baidu.

The team led by Elaine Nsoesie at Boston University said they found "a steep increase in volume starting in August 2019" at Wuhan hospital parking lots, "culminating with a peak in December 2019".

The authors said that while they could not definitively confirm that the data they documented was linked to the virus, it supported conclusions reached by other research suggesting that the virus began circulating earlier than the first reported cases at the end of 2019.

But China's foreign ministry criticised the paper as "full of holes" and "crudely manufactured".

- AFP

Lockdown: Cabinet wants scientists to weigh in before any new decisions are taken

Cabinet has deferred taking any decisions related to amending regulations under alert Level 3 of the national lockdown pending a full health assessment report from the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Covid-19.

Advocacy Comment: AmaBhungane fights for media access to courts under lockdown

As vital as it is to a well-functioning democracy, the principle of "open justice" is probably not something that most ordinary South Africans think about every day. But as investigative journalists, we are obsessed with it.

Harvard health expert predicts an additional 100 000 US Covid-19 deaths by September

A Harvard health expert said he expects an additional 100 000 deaths in the US by September.

Confusion over decision-making powers of NCCC understandable, Dlamini-Zuma concedes

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said given the numerous public statements that attributed government decisions to the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC), it was understandable there was confusion around it.

Have nationwide protests led to a spike in US coronavirus cases?

Since the killing of George Floyd, tens of thousands of people across the United States and abroad have taken to the streets demanding justice for Floyd and an end to systemic racism.

With such large crowds, by now, you could possibly expect to see an increase in the number of registered coronavirus infections - but that has not been the case so far.

UN General Assembly will be virtual for the first time

This year's UN General Assembly will be held virtually for the first time in history because of the coronavirus pandemic, its president announced on Wednesday.

Private hospitals will take Covid-19 patients from public sector, even at a financial loss

Private healthcare groups told both houses of Parliament's health committees that the rate the state will pay to take patients from the public sector is less than the cost to them – but they will take these patients.

WATCH | Hout Bay hotspot: 'When we sailed out, there was no virus here' - life in a Covid-19 red zone

When Jose de Barros sailed out to sea on 3 February, there wasn't a Covid-19 case in sight.

But when he stepped back onto dry land in Hout Bay, he walked back into one of South Africa's viral hotspots. And he has been fearful ever since.

Covid-19 | 2 Gauteng health officials test positive, including spokesperson

The Gauteng Department of Health has confirmed that two officials in the office of Health MEC Dr Bandile Masuku have tested positive for Covid-19.

A SA designer made R2 000 Swarovski-embellished masks – and they sold out

South African fashion designer Rich Mnisi's R1 999 face masks have sold out, despite a social media outcry about the price tag.

Rich Mnisi's R1 999 face mask. (Business Insider)

Covid-19: Radio personality Rob Vember remembers his dad: 'The saddest part is that he died alone'

Former KFM presenter Rob Vember has described his father, Ralph, as a proud and passionate man, who was "addicted" to cooking and loved choral and orchestral music as well as gardening.

Rob Vember with his father, Ralph. (Twitter/@Rob_Vember)