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The number of people traveling from the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape during the interprovincial grace period that tested positive for Covid-19 increased from 137 to 137.
Eastern Cape Health MEC Sindiswa Gomba announced the 57 new cases on Sunday morning.
She said the travelers had entered the provincial borders through Tsitsikamma and Aberdeen during the grace period for inter-provincial travel between May 1 and May 7.
This has helped the province’s number of confirmed cases rise to 1,078 as of Saturday night, he said.
Gomba revealed that most of the new positive cases occurred in the OR Tambo, Buffalo City, Amathole, and Graaff-Reinet municipalities.
“The teams are now tracking and tracing their contacts using the newly delivered 4×4 bakkies, as those at Graaff-Reinet had also attended a funeral.”
READ | 200 Covid-19 cases linked to three Eastern Cape funerals
The MEC had previously expressed concern about funeral services, which it considered to be the worst spread of the virus.
Gomba said the growing number of positive coronavirus cases in the province was cause for concern.
While he’s concerned about the number of confirmed cases and deaths, there has also been some good news, Gomba said. This occurred when the province recorded 519 recoveries. Gomba attributed this to a dedicated team of health workers.
The issue of people moving from the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape has even created tensions between the provincial governments led by ANC and DA.
‘We call on people to be responsible citizens’
Last week, Eastern Cape Prime Minister Oscar Mabuyane blamed the Western Cape government for the increase in cases. In return, the Western Cape Transport Minister, Bonginkosi Madikizela, accused the Eastern Cape government of building a “Berlin Wall” that was undermining effective cooperation.
Gomba said: “Because we cannot reach everyone who recently traveled from other provinces at the same time, we are asking people to be responsible citizens and to contact our 24-hour call center at 08000 32364 so they can be examined and evaluated for any of the symptoms consistent with Covid-19 “.
He added: “We need everyone to play their part because people’s lives are at risk. If we all become infected with the coronavirus at the same time, our healthcare system will not cope and lead to more deaths than could have been prevented.” . “said Gomba.
The MEC sent its condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of the 21 people who died in the province due to Covid-19.
“We feel their pain as this affects us all. May their souls rest in peace.”
She revealed that there has also been a confirmed case at a retail store in Port St Johns.
The teams were following up on this case, he said.
He also announced that 110 people who were quarantined at Mpekweni and Fish River in Port Alfred had received a clean health statement.
He said his department’s top priority is to stop the spread of the virus and that for them to do so successfully, people should stay home, practice good personal hygiene by washing their hands with soap and water or disinfectant regularly. He also urged the public to practice social distancing and wear masks when shopping for essentials or seeking medical help.
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