South Africa’s Ramaphosa Begins Covid-19 Self-Quarantine

(Bloomberg) -- South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is in self-quarantine after a guest at a dinner he attended on Saturday tested positive for the coronavirus.

Ramaphosa is “showing no symptoms” of coronavirus infection and will be tested if he presents any signs, the presidency said in a statement posted on Twitter on Wednesday. The 67 year-old was at a charity event in Johannesburg on Oct. 24 which was attended by about 35 people. A guest at the event tested positive on Tuesday after showing symptoms of the virus.

The rand declined in the wake of the announcement after trading little changed earlier. The South African currency slipped as much as 0.4% to 16.2669 to the dollar before trading at 16.2650 at 09:25 a.m. in Johannesburg. Ramaphosa enters quarantine as Finance Minister Tito Mboweni is due to outline details of a budget plan Wednesday afternoon.

“The event adhered stringently to Covid-19 protocols and directives on screening, social distancing and wearing of masks,” Ramaphosa’s acting spokesman Tyrone Seale said. “As was the case with all guests, the President himself removed his mask only when dining and addressing the guests.”

The President will perform his duties remotely and will observe guidelines that apply to self-quarantine, he added.

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