The KwaZulu-Natal provincial government has increased its efforts to perform tracing operations for people who may have been in contact with people who have tested positive for COVID-19.
After Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced that the number of cases in South Africa had risen by 152 to a total of 554 on Tuesday 24 March, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala and Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu ramped up their efforts to stem the spread of the virus in the province.
KwaZulu-Natal currently has 80 confirmed cases.
Tracer teams search for 2 000 people
Simelane-Zulu said that the tracer teams would be sourcing some 2 000 people in an effort to ensure that provincial health services weren’t overwhelmed by caseloads.
“To reduce the burden on the hospitals, the department has activated trained ward-based health teams,” she said.
“The number of beds available has also been increased with the support of the private sector and in every town, quarantine sites have been identified.”
Provisions to be made available
Zikalala welcomed the advent of a lockdown, saying that it was necessary to ensure the safety of all South Africans. He announced that law enforcement agencies would be on high alert, and district control centres would be launched in various municipalities.
“These structures will ensure effective implementation of all the rules and regulations that relate to the lockdown.”
Zikalala said that his team was doing their utmost to ensure that vulnerable people in the province would not be adversely affected by the impending lockdown, which is due to begin at midnight on Thursday 26 March until Thursday 16 April.
“Children who only get a meal from school and without going to school they have no food, we are packing programmes to unsure that through our war rooms, those families get food.
“People who will be going for grants, the state of places where they will be receiving grants, the manner in which they are receiving those grants, preserve social distance and are preventative measures are adhered to,” Zikalala said.
He said that even in his water-strapped province, provisions would be available to ensure that water is available.
“In informal settlements, each municipality has been given equipment for the provision of water including trucks, water tankers to ensure we provide water.
“We have enough food supply for the people of the province and all outlets that supply food will provide food, we can confirm availability of sufficient goods when it comes to food production,” he explained.
Source: The South African Read More
