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Eastern Cape Health MEC Sindiswa Gomba and Health Minister Zweli Mkhize
- The Eastern Cape Health MEC, Sindiswa Gomba, said the provincial government was concerned about the increase in Covid-19 infections.
- He said it indicated a second wave of infections.
- Dozens of unmasked customers were found sharing drinks in crowded taverns and failing to abide by social distancing rules.
- The eNCA reported that 80% of people who need ventilators in Nelson Mandela Bay Township public hospitals and half of those who enter emergency rooms do not leave alive.
Eastern Cape Health’s MEC, Sindiswa Gomba, said the provincial government was concerned about the rise in Covid-19 infections, which marked a second wave of infections in the province.
Taverns and other venues that draw large crowds will be a focal point as Gomba, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and Minister of Social Development , Lindiwe Zulu, come together this week to intensify the fight against the second wave.
HeraldLive reported that dozens of unmasked patrons were sharing drinks in crowded taverns and were not following social distancing rules.
These were just some of the disturbing discoveries made by police and Eastern Cape Liquor Board officials during inspections of the tavern over the weekend, the newspaper reported.
The eNCA broadcaster reported that 80% of the people who need ventilators in the Nelson Mandela Bay township public hospitals and half of those who enter the victim wards do not leave alive.
According to the channel, there were no oxygen points left in the Uitenhage Provincial Hospital and a ward for eight patients had 20.
The channel also estimated that 10 people die daily from Covid-19 in public hospitals in the Eastern Cape.
Hospitals full to capacity
Hospitals are full to capacity amid a critical bed shortage, the channel reported.
This comes as the Nelson Mandela Bay Township and the Sarah Baartman District Township are battling a second wave of Covid-19.
The number of health workers who tested positive also increased rapidly on the subway.
Gomba has announced that this week the provincial health department will continue to intensify the fight against Covid-19 by meeting with health workers, unions, religious and ecclesiastical leaders, civil society and companies, especially tavern associations.
He said this will be done to ensure that everyone plays their respective roles in the fight against the resurgence.
READ | The Eastern Cape Covid-19 outbreaks may not turn into a second wave if managed well – Mkhize
“That is why we need a change in behavior because this virus, as we have been saying from day one, moves when people move. When people don’t wear masks, as has been the case in some areas, that means that the virus spreads faster, “Gomba said.
Added mushrooms:
Large gatherings are super spreading, therefore we have met with tavern owners to ensure that customers are kept to the number allowed within their workplaces and that they comply with regulations, among other things, wearing face masks and not drinking from the same bottles or glasses.
Details of where the ministers and the MEC will be in the province will be released in due course, said provincial health department spokesman Sizwe Kupelo.
Among the points of discussion will be a call for the reopening of the traditional initiation season this summer.
Meanwhile, Dlamini-Zuma deputy Obed Bapela said that the government and all interested parties will not tolerate bogus initiation schools and that anyone found to be disobeying the initiation suspension order due to Covid-19. He said that those caught running illegal starter schools will face the full power of the law in accordance with the regulations of the Disaster Management Act.
With the number of infections increasing again, Bapela called on everyone to work together to defeat the coronavirus.
“The process to suspend initiation[s] included broader consultations with various sectors across the country. In this regard, we continue to urge our traditional leaders and communities to observe the suspension of initiation.[s].
“We all have to educate communities about the dangers of the coronavirus, especially as it relates to this important cultural practice,” Bapela said.
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