Over 200 supermarket workers have tested positive for the coronavirus in the Western Cape, the province which is now the epicentre of the virus with 1314 infections and 28 deaths.

Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo said food shops are proving to be the new breeding ground for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, more than 100,000 face masks and other protective gear have been donated to workers in the agriculture sector.

The provincial agriculture department said farm workers and those in food processing are just as essential as nurses and doctors.

Officials told members of the provincial legislature on Friday that more resources are being pumped into rural areas with high COVID-19 infections.

-EWN