South Africa Struggles to Enforce Quarantine, Social Distancing As Coronavirus Spreads

Bustling streets and long queues at supermarkets highlighted South Africa's struggle to adapt to a new lockdown on Friday, as the country recorded its first coronavirus death.

In the poor township of Alexandra near Johannesburg's financial district, a group of men drank openly in the street until police intervened and ordered the supermarkets to close.

"How can you stay home without food? The reason we are here is because we are hungry. We are here to get groceries so we can be able to stay indoors, you can't stay indoors without food," Alexandra resident Linda Songelwa told Reuters.

[...] Police Minister Bheki Cele said there had been "a few issues" with the lockdown, including in Alexandra and where people had not observed social distancing in shop queues.

"Sometimes people that join those queues are not even there to make the shopping, they are there for outing because they don't have other activities... So we are sifting all those things, and we are going to be very tough with those people."

Africa won't beat coronavirus on its own. The west must dig deep before it's too late | Larry Elliott https://t.co/kt2duxsaY0

— The Guardian (@guardian) March 27, 2020

We are digging deep already and we wouldn't want to upset @DavidLammy pic.twitter.com/L6bNJNTrQp

— John (@JohnUk2020) March 27, 2020

Sounds like you're advocating colonialism here?

Last thing they need is the imperialistic West reasserting power.

They'll beat this virus through the power of diversity. #COVID2019

— Herman Bullwinkle (@Bullwinkle19) March 27, 2020