Du Plessis, a 70-Test veteran between 2007-15, spoke to Netwerk24 from his family farm near Bethlehem in the eastern Free State."My wife and I decided it would be better for us to come to the farm. There is more space for everyone here and from a health point of view and exposure to people, it's also better," he said.
Du Plessis was with the Lions in Australia when Super Rugby was abandoned under the weight of the virus shutdowns across the competition.
"I did some research on the coronavirus and for me, it has about the same effect as [the] 1918 'flu pandemic – the human immune system was not strong enough for that virus and it led to a large number of deaths.
"What gave me a fright of this current virus was how quickly it spread. We were still on tour in Australia just a few weeks ago, but it makes you sit up and take note how it spread worldwide in a short period," he said.
Du Plessis was confident the South African Government had acted correctly by putting measures, in spite of scepticism from some in the country about the lockdown.
Training to remain in shape for rugby was tough without the company of teammates and he was hopeful a solution could soon be found for players to get as close to normality as possible.
De Plessis had played for Montpellier from 2015-19 before returning to South Africa. His brother, former Springbok hooker Bismarck is still playing for Montpellier and is in France with his family for the duration.
