Twenty four staff members of a Dischem pharmacy in Boksburg, in Ekurhuleni, have tested positive for the coronavirus.
The retailer conducted several tests after one employee tested positive for the virus that has so far claimed 52 lives in South Africa.
Latest confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa:
Media release as at 18 April 2020 pic.twitter.com/NmhoB0QaSh
— Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) April 18, 2020
During the week, the pharmaceutical company recorded a coronavirus infection at the same store.
It says it subsequently closed the store for deep cleaning and took the decision to test all other staff members on Tuesday, resulting in the four who tested positive for the virus going into self-isolation.
On Thursday, 20 other employees who were asymptomatic, tested positive after the store ran a re-test of staff.
Despite the infections, Dischem says it will reopen on Friday. In a statement, the company says the affect branch will have a new staff complement and further deep cleaning will be conducted.
It says it is screening all employees’ temperatures every morning as an added safety measure.
EMPD Specialised Services attended to @DischemBoksburg after 24 of their employees tested positive for the corona virus yet they were still operating #LockdownSA #Covid_19 pic.twitter.com/Ktku8GzWwB
— EMPD_SPECIALISED_SERVICES (@ServicesEmpd) April 19, 2020
In the video below, Dischem Clinical Manager Barbara Lace talks about COVID-19:
Number of infected warders rises to 99
A prison warder who has tested positive for the coronavirus at the Kutama-Sinthumule Correctional facility in Louis Trichardt, Limpopo, has been placed in isolation.
On Saturday, the national Correctional Services Department confirmed that the number of COVID-19 cases at correctional centres had increased by five, bringing the total number of officials and inmates with the virus to 99.
The new five cases have been recorded in Limpopo, the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape.
In the video below, Professor Lynn Morris debunks some misconceptions about the virus:
