“Our scientist are saying... they have evidence that anyone who has COVID-19 an they wear a mask, the level of the excretion of the virus in exhaled air with the mask is reduced a lot. Therefore, there's evidence that with the mask, we can protect the next person,” he said. 

Mkhize said people who wear masks should take precautions.

People should avoid touching the mask and should wash the mask frequently.

Mkhize said people could use cloth masks as long as it had enough layers.

He added that going forward, people may be required to wear masks in overcrowded places.

The number of COVID-19 related deaths in South Africa has risen to 24.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in South Africa is 2003.

eNCA