Gauteng provincial command centre team to undergo Covid-19 testing

The Gauteng provincial command centre team will undergo Covid-19 testing, according to the Gauteng Department of Health.

The department’s media officer Philani Mhlungu said the members of the provincial disaster management command were currently being tested.

This comes after two employees tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday.

The command includes premier David Makhura, the different departments MECs and supporting staff.

Mhlungu said the staffer has since been placed under self-isolation for a period of 14 days.

“The process of contact tracing and testing of contacts based on risk assessment including the presence of symptoms is currently being conducted,” Mhlungu said.

Mhlungu said health and safety measures such as daily screening, social distancing and the washing of hands were part of the daily practice at the command centre.

“Half of the command centre team (around 20 people) now attend meetings virtually as part of workplace social distancing and to ensure business continuity.”

On Monday, Johannesburg mayor Geoff Makhubo announced that he had gone into self-quarantine as a precautionary measure after a staffer in his office tested positive for Covid-19.

A statement from the Johannesburg metro said the staff member tested positive reportedly after a trip to the Western Cape for a funeral about a week ago.

Makhubo said he had recently tested negative for Covid-19.

“As a precaution, I took another Covid-19 test and decided to self-isolate until the results are known.

“The entire staff complement in my office has also undergone tests to determine their Covid-19 status,” he said.

“This is not the time to take the foot off the accelerator. Service delivery must continue in the metro and my office will operate from isolated sites as prescribed by the protocols in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19.”

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).