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The popular Tin Roof nightclub in Claremont is at the center of a Covid-19 outbreak affecting high school students.
Aljoscha Kohlstock, News24
- The number of Covid-19 cases linked to an event in Cape Town‘s The tin roof rack has been increased to 89.
- Of them, 38 are matrix students.
- The Western Cape government says this is a wake-up call for increased vigilance and socially responsible behavior.
The number of Covid-19 cases linked to an event at Cape Town’s Tin Roof bar has risen from 73 to 89.
They were tracked down after an event at the Claremont bar was found to be the common thread in a new cluster of cases.
Of that group, 38 of those infected are in matrix.
Across the sub-district (including both the event and infections outside of it), 65 students were infected, of which 44 are enrolled from eight schools.
The remaining six contracted it elsewhere.
The investigation into the outbreak at the bar has not been completed.
The group was picked up by a general practitioner who contacted other physicians and then the Western Cape health department.
They are mostly understood to have mild symptoms.
“This is where individual responsible behavior and collective responsible behavior come together,” department head Keith Cloete said in a digital briefing.
He added that there were other places where youth gathered, so the team was examining whether there were other potential “seeding” events.
The Western Cape government’s concern about those enrolled is that they might have to wait until next year for a second chance to write their final exams, which are coming up soon, if they get sick.
Cloete said that cases in the province peaked in June and July, and were in decline, but there was a slight increase in the last week.
There were cases in Beaufort West, Matzikama, Oudtshoorn, Saldanha and, in particular, in the northern, southern and western suburbs of Cape Town.
READ ALSO | Winde wants a probe after dozens caught Covid-19, but the club says it followed protocols
Most of the new cases in the southern suburbs are in Rondebosch, but there were also new cases in Tamboerskloof and in the city center.
For adults (20 and older), there was a problem in the western suburbs, but it has decreased.
Cases in the eastern suburbs (Khayelitsha, Klipfontein, Mitchells Plain, and Tygerberg) were declining.
However, the number of cases in the age group up to 19 years showed a significant jump, mainly related to the “single superpreader” bar event.
Tin Roof said it had taken every precaution, even cutting the number of customers allowed at the venue in half.
Two weeks ago, Cloete said, there were 287 cases in the South and West region, with 40 (15%) in the 15-25 age group.
This has increased to 557 cases, with 195 cases in the South and West region (35%) in the 15-25 age group.
This group is currently contained with isolation and quarantine, but the upcoming Christmas season requires continued vigilance as people attend multiple gatherings.
Cloete said that for the next 18 to 24 months, there should be great personal responsibility to contain the impact of Covid-19 and prevent further outbreaks until there is a vaccine.
“Everyone is potentially a super spreader,” he added.
Prime Minister Alan Winde called on young people to be extremely vigilant during the final stretch of year-end exams.
He said that young people had less risk of contracting Covid-19, but that they could be the “infectors.”
“The whole year has been a difficult year, but there are a couple of weeks left, but make sure we stay the course.”
