Tourist town again virus free
The man placed himself in isolation for more than two weeks after testing positive.
DULLSTROOM – This town is once again Covid-19 free. The first person who tested positive for the Covid-19 virus was recently assessed and found to be pathogen-free.
Steelburger/Lydenburg News reported previously that the man tested positive on March 27.
Reliable sources in the town then told the newspaper that the person was tested for the virus at Belfast Hospital.
The results were not sent to the Department of Health immediately after the diagnoses which caused a lag in the prescibed process.
The newspaper is in possession of the test results and the communication with the Centre for Disease Control (CDC). The protocol was followed and the CDC confirmed that it did contact tracing.
A prominent resident in the town told the newspaper that the man had been in self-isolation on his farm since he received the positive result. He was apparently on holiday abroad where he supposedly became infected.
On April 16 the man sent a WhatsApp message to the Farmers Association in Dullstoom, in which he confirmed that he tested negative for the virus. He thanked the town’s community for their prayers and support and said that they “carried us on many ways”.
The newspaper contacted the Department of Health in Mpumalanga. Dumisani Malamule of the department confirmed that there have been nine Covid recoveries. There are currently 23 reported cases in the province.
According to the latest statistics by the department, as of Sunday 19 April, 54 coronavirus-related deaths had been recorded in South Africa, and 3 158 cases had been registered.
The department added that 114 711 tests have been conducted. Deaths increased by two on Sunday, and cases have risen by 124 over the past 24 hours.
• The newspaper’s attempts to contact the man proved futile. Both his contact numbers were on voice mail and SMSs and WhatsApp messages went unanswered. For this reason, the identity of the man cannot be disclosed.
