ABUJA, Nigeria

In South Africa, where schools were reopened earlier this month, 98 teachers and 1,800 students have been infected by COVID-19. 

Schools will be disinfected in the Western Cape province this week after the new confirmed cases, said Debbie Schafer, education minister of the province, Monday.

Schafer said that reopening of schools has not led to a surge in the cases, adding 1,537 students had contracted the virus when schools were close.

Number of cases in the country rose to 70,038, while 1,480 patients have died so far and over 38,500 others have recovered from the disease.

South Africa has the highest number of cases in the continent, and ranks the second country on deaths after Egypt.