S. Africa to Tap Phone Data to Ready for Virus Case Spikes (1)

March 28, 2020, 6:58 AM UTC

South Africa’s biggest mobile phone companies have been asked to help track the movement of people days before a national lock-down as authorities grow concerned that they may spread the coronavirus to remote parts of the country.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases, which is spearheading the government’s response to the outbreak, wants the information so that it can better prepare for the next areas most at risk. So far, most confirmed cases have been in or near major urban areas and linked to affluent travelers returning from Europe.

The three-day gap between President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement of the ...

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