‘Follow Covid-19 regulations to avoid second wave’ – Gauteng government

“The virus is still with us,” said Premier David Makhura, speaking at the provincial command council recently.

“There will be more opportunities for it to spread as we approach the festive season and more people travel. Those who cannot avoid travelling must take extra measures to protect themselves and others.”

As of Sunday, about 5 040 Covid-19 related deaths were recorded in the province, with the Tshwane region accounting for about a 1 000 in the provincial total tally.

“We may not be where the Eastern Cape and Western Cape [both which are coronavirus hotspots] are,” he said.

“But going into the festive season, indications are that we are going to have a much significant increase. We can do much better by complying with health regulations. We cannot let our guard down.”

Makhura urged the public to avoid big family gatherings and parties during the festive season.

“We need to be more careful now than before. Also, Gauteng law enforcement and health authorities will be conducting roadblocks, testing and screening at all points of entry into Gauteng in December and January.”

Makhura said modellers advised the provincial command council to expect a second wave to hit the province in January.

“Although the increase in infections is currently moderate, we are worried that Gauteng will face a possible resurgence or second wave in January and February when people return to the province.”

Addressing the nation on Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa also raised his concerns, saying many people were not following Covid-19 regulations.

This came after the country recorded over 4 400 new infections last week Wednesday – the largest daily increase in infections since the mid-August.

“By far, the greatest contributing cause of infections is that many people are not wearing masks and not observing proper hygiene and social distancing.

“We must change our behaviour now to prevent a resurgence of the virus. If we think of this pandemic like a bush fire, we need to quickly extinguish the flare-ups before they turn into an inferno,” he said.

“At the same time, we need to do all we can to keep the economy open and to push ahead with our reconstruction and recovery effort. In line with our differentiated approach to the management of the pandemic, we will therefore implement additional measures in those areas identified as coronavirus hotspots.”

To prevent a resurgence in Covid-19 infections, Ramaphosa said the Department of Health would be implementing a resurgence plan developed with the World Health Organisation’s surge team.

“We are making more capacity available at hospitals and clinics in these areas. We are expanding public health interventions such as testing, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine. We are also stepping up our awareness campaigns around public health regulations.”

Meanwhile, the health department identified several Matric Rage gatherings as so-called Covid-19 “super-spreaders”.

Departmental spokesperson Dr Lwazi Manzi confirmed they identified a number of Covid-19 positive cases arising from these events.

“We warn South Africans that this is a clear illustration that large gatherings are a major risk and continue to undermine our efforts to contain the spread of the virus,” said Manzi.

Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news

Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).