On the 23rd of March 2020, MEC Bentley Vass and MEC for Health in the province MEC Manopole visited the N7 roadblock between Bitterbos and Garies. This was a joint operation between the South African National Defence Force, the South African Police Service and the Department of Health in an effort to enforce lockdown regulations which included restrictions to travelling and the upscaling of screening. A total of 80 persons from the Western Cape Province were screened from 6 am until 1pm.
On the 15th of March 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a state of disaster in South Africa due to the Corona Virus COVID-19 Pandemic, as a result the country was put under lockdown as effective from Thursday the 18th of March.