According to a June 18th report by Reuters, Cape Town has recorded 47,000 confirmed cases of COVID out of the national diagnosed total of 80,000.  It is now presumed that the infection was present in the western Cape port city in February resulting in community transmission. 

As with major Chinese ports during the height of the COVID-19 epidemic, South African ports including Cape Town and Port Elizabeth are operating at reduced capacity, creating problems for both exporters and importers.

As international freight is dependent on skilled operators to unload and load containers, mechanized installations are vulnerable to absenteeism due to disease, strikes and other issues.  USAPEEC has issued a notification to exporters regarding the situation in South Africa and obviously will continue to monitor the situation for the benefit of the poultry industry.