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Sindiswa Gomba and Zweli Mkhize.
- Eastern Cape Health MEC Sindiswa Gomba has tested positive for Covid-19.
- This as President Cyril Ramaphosa prepares to address the nation on Monday night.
- His speech comes after Health Minister Zweli Mkhize declared a second wave of infections in South Africa last week.
Eastern Cape Health MEC Sindiswa Gomba tested positive for Covid-19, his office announced Sunday night.
“Your Covid-19 results came in today, December 13. The MEC is at home for isolation under the Covid-19 protocol,” said department spokeswoman Judy Ngoloyi.
He added that Gomba had advised everyone with whom he came into direct contact to get tested.
“Her period of isolation has started as of today. She is asymptomatic and will continue with her duties working from home. MEC Gomba would like to urge people to wear their masks, maintain social distancing, wash and disinfect their hands frequently.”
The Gomba infection comes in less than a week since Health Minister Zweli Mkhize declared that South Africa was in a second wave of infections.
READ | Covid-19: Eastern Cape Also Calls For Beach Closures This Holiday Season
The Eastern Cape along with the Western Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal were among the provinces identified as guilty of the second wave.
News24 reported that in a special live television broadcast on Wednesday night, Dec. 9, Mkhize said increases were seen in about six provinces.
The maximum age range for new cases in the last two days is between 15 and 19 years.
He said the new cases were believed to be due to a large number of parties involving youth who drank alcohol without adhering to non-pharmaceutical interventions; the use of masks and social distancing and hand disinfection also have no place.
Mkhize said a report from KwaZulu-Natal showed that the pattern was more widespread than previously thought.
“This inevitably leads to superprocessor activities spreading to the rest of the country as the age group is very mobile and most operators are largely asymptomatic,” he added.
Many of the new cases have been associated with Ballito Rage events in KwaZulu-Natal.
Other Rage events were canceled, and the Garden Route and Cape Subway authorities canceled planned events when a second wave became apparent.
However, Mkhize and other health officials have urged the public to continue to apply mitigation measures as well, as many have stopped wearing masks and disinfecting.
