The South African government is expected to introduce travel restrictions from some foreign countries and to recommend that all mass events in the country be cancelled or postponed in an effort to contain the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) which the World Health Organisation this week declared a global pandemic.

On Saturday Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced that the number of South Africans who had contracted the coronavirus had risen by 14 since Friday to reach 38, all of whom had recently returned from abroad. Most of the countries they visited were in Europe though an increasing number seem to have been infected in the US.

It was announced in a post cabinet briefing on Thursday that there would be a special cabinet meeting on Sunday, March 15, to discuss the country's response to the coronavirus.

So far Pretoria has not imposed travel restrictions into South Africa or advised South Africans against travelling to any other countries which have experienced unusually high numbers of coronavirus infections.

Many other countries have introduced these kinds of restrictions. Among the most drastic have been those of the United States which this past week suspended all entry into the US of foreigners from...