Department enforces mandatory isolation

This is after the Department of Health received a report from the community about a Covid-19 patient who had been spotted at a local tavern at Tweefontein K in Thembisile Hani Local Municipality on July 3. He was interacting with community members while he was supposed to have been self-isolating at home.

The patient had earlier tested positive for Covid-19.

“It is very unfortunate that there are still people who do not see the seriousness of this pandemic and contravene regulations at a time when the province has started recording deaths as a result of the coronavirus. This is extremely reckless and disturbing, because we are now in a season where we are seeing it increase. More and more of our people are getting infected and it is due to such reckless behaviour,” said Manzini.

The Covid-19 guidelines for isolation state that if a person violates self-isolation regulations, an enforcement officer may subject the individual to a mandatory isolation in a designated isolation facility (NDoH guideline for quarantine and isolation in relation to Covid-19).

Subsequently, the said patient has been taken to one of the department’s isolation sites to ensure that he does not put his life and the lives of others at risk.

The Disaster Management Act, 2002: Regulation relating to Covid-19: Government Notice 318 of 2020: Chapter 1:11(6) states, “Any person who intentionally exposes another person to Covid-19 may be prosecuted for an offence, including assault, attempted murder or murder”.

“The department takes the pandemic seriously and will press criminal charges against any person who intentionally contravenes the quarantine and isolation regulations. We plead with our people to continue protecting themselves and one another by following the precautionary measures of washing our hands for 20 seconds, using sanitiser, wear a mask and maintain the required social distance,” went on Manzini.

As of July 7, the province has recorded 1 602 positive cases of Covid-19.