It came just days after the country, the worst hit in Africa, reported a new, faster spreading variant of the virus.

Several hospitals have reported wards overflowing with patients, while many health workers have canceled vacations to tackle a huge influx of patients.

The new variant is referred to as 501 V two.

Scientists tracking it say it appears to be focused in the south and southeast of the country.

They also said it had dominated findings from samples collected since October.

Local media reported.

Authorities met on Sunday to decide if a tighter locked down or stricter rules on public movement was needed.

The point of concern is that it took just nine days for South Africa to go from 900,000 reported cases, up to one million.