| March 5 | South Africa reports its first confirmed COVID-19 case—a traveller |
| Multilingual campaign launched to educate public on coronavirus |
| Handwashing physical distancing and covering sneezes emphasized |
| March 15 | President Cyril Ramaphosa declares a national state of disaster |
| South Africa creates the National COVID-19 Command Council |
| Closure of schools and prohibitions on groups of more than 100 |
| March 26 | Cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in South Africa now 927 |
| March 27 | Command Council imposes first twenty-one-day national lockdown |
| People can go out only for essentials like food medicine and fuel |
| Sale of non-essentials—including liquor and cigarettes—halted |
| Borders closed and quarantines enforced on inbound travelers |
| April 1 | 67 mobile test units and ten thousand community workers deployed |
| April 9 | President Ramaphosa warns ending lockdown too soon would |
| risk a massive and uncontrollable resurgence of the disease |
| April 16 | South Africa extends its nationwide lockdown by two weeks |
| Government recommends facemasks for the general population |
| April 19 | South Africa has conducted 115 thousand tests (3158 positive) |
| Fifty-four people have died of COVID-19 (1.7 percent fatality) |
| Most infections are associated with travel to high-risk countries |
