South Africa prepares 1.5 million gravesites as cases rise

A health official in South Africa's new coronavirus hotspot of Gauteng province says authorities are preparing more than 1.5 million gravesites as confirmed cases rise, the AP reported. Bandile Masuku, a doctor and member of the province's executive council, said it was the public's responsibility to make sure the gravesites were not needed.

"It's an uncomfortable discussion," he said. Gauteng province includes Johannesburg and the capital, Pretoria. The number of confirmed virus cases in Gauteng is now more than 71,000, or 33 percent of South Africa's cases. The country has more than 215,000 confirmed cases and is posting some of the world's highest daily totals of newly reported cases.