As the number of positive Covid-19 cases rise, the City of Johannesburg continues to close offices and instruct staff to self-isolate.
The beginning of July has been met with difficult experiences for the City of Johannesburg due to Covid-19. According to a statement by the City of Joburg, there has been a surge in the number of daily Covid-19 cases among its employees, raising concerns about the workers’ health and service delivery. Several City buildings, including depots and offices, have had to temporarily shut down and be disinfected on a few occasions amid rising infections. The Johannesburg Property Company had three confirmed Covid-19 cases at its Braampark offices in the first week of July. An employee in the office of the Ombudsman has also tested positive for coronavirus, alongside two other officials in the Department of Economic Development.
Pikitup Depots have also been closed by the City after staff tested positive. The Roodepoort depot, which closed for the first time on 15 June, closed again on 1 July after more employees at the facility tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The depot was closed for 14 days from 15 June and all employees were ordered to self-isolate. During the closure, Pikitup continued with mass screening and testing of employees who had been in direct contact with the infected employees. A further 15 cases were confirmed positive by Wednesday, 1 July, adding to the 30 cases already confirmed. This brings the total number of employees infected by the virus at the depot to 45. The City’s Housing Department’s offices in Region D were also recently closed for deep cleaning. According to the City, all infected employees are in self-isolation as required by law while those who have been in contact with infected officials have been advised to monitor their symptoms and undergo testing. In the meantime, all employees, except for those in essential services, have been informed to work from home and have been equipped to do so until further notice.
Roodepoort and Dube Licensing Centres only reopened on 6 July after it was closed to make way for deep cleaning. Public Safety MMC Mally Mokoena said, “The number of confirmed cases at our licensing centres is slowly growing and while this is concerning, I wish to encourage all employees, especially those at the affected centres, to remain calm during this challenging period.”Mokoena urged City staff to strictly observe and practice hygiene and safety protocols to ensure that the virus is managed, curbed and prevented from further spread.
