South Africa to Erect Border Fence, Shut Bars in Virus Fight

(Bloomberg) -- South Africa will close its bars at night and erect a fence at its biggest border post to prevent people infected with the coronavirus from entering the country as part of measures to contain the spread of the disease.

The 40-kilometer (25-mile) barrier at the border with Zimbabwe is expected to be completed within a month, the Department of Public Works said in a statement Thursday.

Late Wednesday, the government ordered bars to close at night and limit the number of patrons to 50 people. Restaurants may stay open after 6 p.m. if they don’t sell liquor. Most international flights have been canceled and schools and universities have closed.

The measures come after President Cyril Ramaphosa on March 15 declared a national state of disaster over the viral illness. While South Africa’s number of confirmed cases is still relatively low at 150, it’s rising fast since the first patient was diagnosed on March 5.

With an economy already battered by electricity outages and indebted state companies, South Africa has been hit hard by the impact of the global pandemic. Ramaphosa’s swift response has drawn praise from opposition parties and medical professionals.

In Johannesburg, the country’s biggest city, many people are already working from home, and bars and restaurants have emptied since Ramaphosa’s speech.

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