Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has announced a community-based strategy to fight the spread of coronavirus in the province.
Infections have been soaring in the Eastern Cape in recent days.
The provincial government has identified 87 wards in four hotspot areas that require urgent intervention.
The province currently has the third highest number of infections in the country with more than 30 000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 528 deaths.
Mabuyane says there has been some progress in other parts of the province where they have implemented some of their strategies.
“We have taken a decision to convert 18 state owned facilities like schools, hostel, museums, nursing colleges and training centres in all the districts and metropolitan municipal areas of our province into field hospitals to give us additional 2080 beds.”
“This includes 280 ICU beds … we plan to have these field hospital ready very soon, so that we are able to accommodate more people who will need hospitalisation,” explains Mabuyane.
Mabuyane has urged community members to stay home and observe all COVID-19 regulations to help reduce the number of positive cases in the province.
The Premier has also paid tribute to the late MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs in North West, Gordon Kegakilwe.
Kegakilwe died of COVID-19 related complications.
In the video below, is Mabuyane’s briefing:
SANDF members deployed to Eastern Cape
Mabuyane has also thanked President Cyril Ramaphosa for sending members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to the province.
Military healthcare practitioners will boost the provincial government’s COVID-19 containment and mitigation strategy.
The SANDF says the members deployed to the Eastern Cape come with a variety of skill sets that will assist the province in stemming the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
The team consists of 35 military nurses, 12 doctors and five clinical associates.
In the video below, SANDF personnel arrive in the Eastern Cape:
