A young boy wearing a face mask to protect against coronavirus, with his father stands in a queue to shop in Soweto, South Africa, Thursday, March 26, 2020. In hours South Africa goes into a nationwide lockdown for 21-days in an effort to mitigate the spread to the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
March 26, 2020
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March 26, 2020 5:02 p.m.
'Terrified' South Africa nears lockdown; cases almost 1,000
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa's president appeared in full military uniform for the first time since the end of apartheid and told troops to be a “force of kindness” as a three-week lockdown begins at midnight and they ensure that 57 million people stay home. The mission is the "most important in the history of our country" as coronavirus cases near 1,000, the highest in Africa.