Covid-19-positive cases in Gauteng now stand at 813

The City of Johannesburg remains the epicentre of the virus with 467 confirmed cases; Ekurhuleni has 141 and Tshwane 92.

The West Rand has 30 cases and Sedibeng six, while 77 cases are unallocated.

The department reiterated the call by Health Minister Zweli Mkhize for people to use cloth masks while out in public.

“Face masks are recommended in addition to the golden rule of good hygiene and social distancing. The face mask should never be promoted as our primary prevention strategy and should never be promoted separately from hand-washing and social-distancing measures,” department spokesperson Kwara Kekana said.

The department added cloth face masks were recommended for use by the general public to ensure N95 and surgical masks were available to healthcare workers who were on the frontline in the battle against Covid-19.

“Minister Mkhize has indicated his satisfaction of sufficient scientific evidence to show cloth face mask significantly reduces the amount of virus that can be emitted,” Kekana said.

People need to follow these rules when wearing a cloth face mask:

– It must cover the nose and mouth completely.

– It should not be lowered when speaking, coughing or sneezing.

– It should never be touched.

– Wash your hands before and after donning or removing it.

– Wash cloth it with warm soapy water and iron when dry.

– Change it if it is wet or visibly soiled.

– Each person needs two face masks in case one is soiled.

As of Saturday, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases nationally is at 2 028, with 75 053 having been tested.

The national health department also reported the death of a 61-year-old man from the Western Cape who had underlying health issues. This brings the number of Covid-19-related deaths in the country to 25.

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