South African President cautions people to be prepared to live with deadly coronavirus

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has cautioned the people to be prepared to live with the deadly coronavirus for a year or more and asked them to adapt to social distancing measures and wear face masks even after the lockdown is eased, minimising opportunities for the spread of the virus in the country.

South Africa has so far reported over 12,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 200 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University data.

The country has been under a nationwide lockdown since March 27. The president had last month announced a five-phase plan to gradually ease the lockdown imposed to combat the spread of the coronavirus in the country.