COVID-19 and socioeconomic impact in Africa: The case of South Africa

South Africans were reluctant to believe that the coronavirus would spread to their country and affect them. Theories that the virus would not affect them were due to speculation that the virus cannot thrive in warmer regions and the false belief that Africans could not contract the virus. Despite these theories, coronavirus arrived via a citizen returning from a holiday in Italy, along with ten other people that had travelled in the same group. The group arrived in South Africa on 1 March 2020. In a few short weeks, the government has acted swiftly. This note outlines the actions the South African government has taken to curb the spread of the virus, the early economic impact of these measures on the most vulnerable in society, and what else can be done to support the poor.