According to the Provincial Department of Social Development, the handing over is aimed at helping hundreds of impoverished families during the 21-day lockdown period. 

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday announced a three week national lockdown in efforts to curb the spread of the Coronavirus.

During this period only essential personnel such as doctors, nurses, and police, will report for duty while the rest of the country will only be allowed to leave their home for essential needs such as seeking medical care and other basic necessities. 

In partnership with Harmony mine, the provincial government will be handing out food parcels to child-headed households in Allanridge, Odendaalsrus, Welkom, and Virginia. 

The Department's Sparkle Mokoena in a statement highlights that this is an initiative to assist families in need during the lock-down period aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19 in the province and in the country at large. 

The initiative comes as the total number of positive cases in the country now stands at 709, with Gauteng being the epicentre, followed by the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State. 

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