Two South Africans have been quarantined in China following the corona virus outbreak.
However, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, said there are no reported cases in South Africa.
The virus has so far killed a reported 2130 people and infected close to 12 000 people in 24 countries around the globe, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring the spread of the virus “a global state of emergency” on Friday.
In South Africa, 14 suspected cases have been probed over the weekend, but in all cases, test results were negative.
MONITORING: Zweli Mkhize
On Saturday, Botswana confirmed that the number of suspected cases had risen to five.
Botswana Health and Wellness Ministry spokesperson, Doreen Motshegwa, said that they are awaiting laboratory results.
“The specimen has been sent to the regional reference laboratory in South Africa,” she said.
“All five suspected cases arrived at the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport from China on different flights.”
South Africa remains one of 13 countries identified by WHO as top-priority, given the high
volume of travellers to and from China.
At Cape Town International
Airport, when passengers wearing masks arrived from China, they had their temperatures monitored.
Emergency centres have also been set up around the country with Tygerberg Hospital functioning as the go-to facility because it has an isolation unit, said Mkhize.
Government will not do any emergency evacuations yet, and South Africans in China could ask for help from the embassy there.
“We maintain that there is no evidence to support repatriation or emergency evacuations of our citizens,” Mkhize said.
The Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) has estimated that there are as many as 3 000 SA students living in China.