South Africa to ban arrivals from virus-hit countries

JOHANNESBURG

South Africa announced Sunday that it will close its borders to all foreign nationals from high-risk countries where the novel coronavirus has spread widely.

“We have decided to take urgent and drastic measures to manage the disease, protect the people of our country and reduce the impact of the virus on our society and on our economy,’’ President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement shortly after holding an emergency cabinet meeting.

The high-risk countries whose citizens will be stopped from entering South Africa starting Wednesday include the U.S., the U.K. and China.

Others are Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain