AbaQulusi conducts mass Covid-19 testing
"This is an initiative to prevent disaster, as many municipal employees have just returned to work".
AbaQulusi Local Municipality has embarked on mass testing of its senior management, councillors and entire staff following positive cases in neighbouring municipalities.
Recently, Mthonjaneni Local Municipality had 18 Covid-19 positive cases, which prompted other nearby local municipalities to do the same. 40 positive cases were found at Ulundi Local Municipality, and 37 at Nongoma. “This is an initiative to prevent disaster, as many municipal employees have just returned to work. Just like the other municipalities, we do not have any suspected cases but it is a must for us to conduct these tests, as a lot of people come into our offices.
Also read: Ulundi Municipality tests its employees for Covid-19
This is to help protect the community and ourselves, and try to minimise the spread. A total of 529 municipal officials will be tested; this number includes councillors and EPWPs.
“As a bigger local municipality than the other three, we felt there was a need for us to also get tested because we are in the centre for by-pass to Mpumalanga, Free State and Gauteng. Therefore a lot of feet run past our municipality. We have invited the Joint Operations Committee (JOC) on Covid-19, as well as Vryheid Hospital, to assist with counselling of the officials and also give the do’s and don’ts before and after testing. Lancet will do the tests at R850 a person,” said Municipal Manager Bonga Ntanzi.
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