“The 21-day lockdown may sound like a short time but for some isolation can lead to increased anxiety and depression,” says clinical psychologist and board member of the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, Dr Colinda Linde.

She says anxiety will continue to increase as the fight against Covid-19 goes on, because this is a situation the world has never faced before.

As April 2 marked two years since the death of struggle icon Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, political and non-governmental organisations paid tribute to the former anti-apartheid activist, lauding her commitment to the liberation struggle.

Affectionately known as the “mother of the nation,” Madikizela-Mandela died aged 81 at Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg after a long illness.

The ANC Women's League acknowledged the role she played in the freedom struggle.

Siya Matya, a grade 2 teacher from East London, wakes up every morning to teach her young nieces and nephews English and maths.

Debbie Bekker from Durban is also using the lockdown period to spread some good fortune, by using her sewing skills to make masks for the less fortunate.

On March 11 2020, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO's) director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, declared Covid-19 a pandemic, but what is the difference between a pandemic, an epidemic and something that is endemic?

President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation four days into the 21-day nationwide lockdown, which was set up to respond to the spread of the coronavirus and the Covid-19 illness it causes.

Ramaphosa lauded South Africa Africans for staying at home, but also cautioned those who thought they were immune to contracting the virus.

"South Africans have, for the most part, responded positively to this decision by staying at home and exercising the greatest of care. We are concerned by those who have not yet appreciated the seriousness of this disease," he said.

As the Coronavirus pandemic gripped SA, lawyer Sinal Govender and venture designer Claire Keet Pollock realised that many people would be faced with the scary reality of death and sickness.

So they shifted the focus of their company, Pop Law, to highlight the often tricky administration that comes with death — admin that many people don't know how to get their heads around.

“This pandemic is forcing us to face sickness and death in a very real way, for many this means having to get their ducks in a row quickly, and that is expensive”, said Govender.

Motorcycle riders in Johannesburg were unsure on Tuesday how the looming lockdown would affect their incomes as providers of food delivery services.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the lockdown on Monday, explaining that essential services personnel would be the only ones exempted, including police officers, healthcare workers and those involved in the supply of goods, including food.

Ndaba Mandela was at home in Johannesburg with friends on Saturday when he received a call which shook him to the core: he had tested positive for Covid-19.

Mandela, the grandson of former president Nelson Mandela, arrived back in SA from New York the Sunday before, the same night President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation and declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus and Covid-19, the respiratory illness it causes.

The following day, Mandela went to be tested because he had returned from the United States, which is officially listed as a high risk country.

SA is going into lockdown, the president confirmed: "The National Coronavirus Command Council has decided to enforce a nationwide lockdown for 21 days, with effect from midnight, Thursday March 26."

A lack of knowledge and information is driving people's ignorance around the deadly nature of coronavirus, which has infected more than 200 people in the country to date.

A Sunday Times team spent a day in some of Johannesburg's most densely populated areas to find out what residents, business people and commuters know of COVID-19 and how to protect themselves against the virus.