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By Zintle Mahlati 
2h ago
Johannesburg – The Gauteng Health Department has not ruled out the possibility of taking legal action against a group of resistant people who had attended a rage party in KwaZulu Natal that resulted in a Covid-19 super-spreader event.
The party, which took place from November 27 to December 7, was attended by thousands of enrollment students from all over the country.
The event, held annually, resulted in 984 positive cases of Covid-19. This was from a group of 1,322 students from Joburg and Tshwane who attended the event. Only 1050 were tested for Covid-19.
The department said the students had around 340 contacts and around 32 of those contacts had tested positive for Covid-19 as a result of the massive event.
The Gauteng government’s biggest concern regarding the events is that the 99 people who attended the event have not cooperated with health officials, which could pose a danger to members of the public.
Gauteng health department spokesman Kwara Kekana said the department has pleaded with parents and students to work with health officials. He said that some of the resistance experienced included an unwillingness to interact with health officials.
“This is very important because people are putting family and friends at risk by continuing to go to these crowded spaces and these high-profile events.
“We have several people who are not cooperating. This could be because they do not want to speak to our officials and hang up the phone. This is quite concerning. I know that the contact tracing team continues to communicate with the group that has not cooperated,” he said Kekana.
“The plea we are making in response to our officials is to get tested and begin quarantine. Those who test positive should isolate themselves. The best they can do now is take responsibility for their actions.”
The department has also not ruled out taking legal action against people who choose not to cooperate. Kekana explained that in the early days of the pandemic the department had taken legal action to force compliance.
“Of course, in the past, in the early stages of April and March, the department had to go after people through legal action. And this avenue is open to the department to compel people and force people to test and comply.
“Ultimately, people are putting other people at risk. The department is exploring this avenue and remains open to the department in case this group of people continues to not cooperate with our public health team, “Kekana said.
On the province’s broader preparedness to tackle the second wave of the pandemic, the department said hospital admissions remained stable. As of December 11, 1,428 people had been admitted to public and private hospitals in Gauteng and had been treated for Covid-19.
Covid-19 cases in the province amounted to 242,902 cases with 230,121 recoveries and 5,097 deaths.
Kekana said one of the biggest concerns before the holiday season trips was monitoring the number of people returning to the province in January. Another problem was the trauma cases related to holiday incidents that clogged the system and that should be focused on the Covid-19 cases.
Political Bureau
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