The management of Menlyn Park Shopping Centre issued out a retraction and an apology on Wednesday evening after an internal communication letter, claiming that an MTN employee at the centre tested positive for the virus, was distributed on social media.

“The management of Menlyn Park Shopping Centre issued an internal communication to the mall tenants that incorrectly claimed an MTN employee at Menlyn Mall had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Regrettably this has turned out to be incorrectly reported. We unreservedly retract the statement and apologise to our tenant, MTN.”

In the statement the centre management said they have been advised that no MTN employee has tested positive for COVID-19.

“The Menlyn store was closed after employees were concerned they had indirectly (through three levels of separation) been in contact with person showing some symptoms associated with flu.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the store was closed to be sanitized and will reopen on Thursday 19 March 2020. Tests have been undertaken but there is no evidence of any infection, whatsoever, of any individual.

“The management of Menlyn Park Shopping Centre would like to apologise to MTN for the misinformation and to MTN’s customers, as well as general mall customers.”

Rekord earlier reported MTN refuted the claims shortly after the letter started circulating on social media.

Menlyn MTN store employee not tested positive for Covid-19

MTN SA executive for corporate affairs Jacqui O’Sullivan said that the store was closed as a precautionary measure.

“It is not correct that a case of Covid-19 has been confirmed at the Menlyn store.”

“A store employee’s daughter spent the weekend with her father… the father’s partner was in contact with someone who subsequently showed symptoms of Covid-19,” O’Sullivan earlier explained.

“The daughter had been in the store that weekend,” she explained.

“We have not yet had confirmation that the original person was actually infected, but we believe it is in the best interest of our employees, customers and all South Africans we act in a responsible manner.”

The employees at the store were now said to be in self-quarantine, while the store was set to be reopened “as soon as possible” after it was fully sanitised.

“We are standardising the MTN store response plan for potential exposure in line with the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organisation’s recommendations to ensure that uniform actions are taken as advised by those international bodies,” O’Sullivan said.

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