South Africa launches coronavirus screening amid 21-day lockdown

Healthcare workers tested residents for coronavirus in the township of Alexandra near Johannesburg's financial district on Tuesday. The testing follows South African President's national address on Monday evening in which he urged citizens to stay indoors and obey restrictions imposed by government.

South Africa has been in lockdown since Friday. The President said the government will roll out mass screening for the coronavirus and deployed 10,000 field workers to check up on people in their homes to check for symptoms. Chairman of Clinics in Alexandra, Norman Reed said testing had been focused on the poor township after a number of people in the area had been exposed to the virus and some were taken into quarantine. South Africa's confirmed cases rose to 1,353 and five deaths on Tuesday.