South African president says coronavirus will hurt tourism, economy

The spread of the coronavirus to South Africa will have a huge impact on travel and a negative impact on the already struggling South African economy, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday. Ramaphosa was speaking hours after the first case of the virus, called COVID-19, which was confirmed in South Africa.

"We will keep informing South Africans openly and transparently about a number of steps we will be taking because this will turn out to be a national crisis," the president said. "It will have a huge impact on travel, and a negative impact also on our economy."