The country's Department of Health announced two COVID-19 deaths to end the week, with total confirmed cases above 1,000. South Africa has administered 20,000 tests so far, as officials fear the outbreak could be much more extensive than previously thought because of the lack of test kits. 

The lockdown of South Africa is the first time the government has stripped the basic freedoms of its citizens since it became a democracy in 1994.

"The law is that you stay at home. The exception is for survival: food [and] health, with security forces making sure that the law is enforced," government minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, said.

The sale of alcohol and cigarettes has been banned for three weeks, along with any outdoor activity such as jogging, walking dogs, and or going to the park. The government warned that offenders would be prosecuted and either fined or jailed. 

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa tested negative for COVID-19 on Thursday. He visited troops at a military base in Soweto township outside Johannesburg before they launched deployments across the country.