Cape Town’s largest township, Khayelitsha has recorded its first coronavirus (COVID-19) case. Western Cape Premier Alan Winde says they are concerned that COVID-19 has moved to densely populated Khayelitsha.
Thousands of families live in very close proximity to one another in the township and some households have as many as 10 people living together, making social distancing difficult.
Water and sanitation is also a major problem. Many houses still don’t have access to water and one block of communal toilets are shared between hundreds of residents. There are also five confirmed cases in neighbouring Mitchell’s Plain.
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Winde says there are now a total of 310 cases in the province. He says the patient from Khayelitsha did not travel.
“We are now picking up the spread that’s moving across into society and this case specifically detected in Khayelitsha. The tracing teams were out today making sure that we are tracing everyone that’s in contact with this individual and we are creating space so that we can create isolation for the individual and the family,” says Winde.
Video | About a thousand bed spaces are due to become available in the Cape Town CBD in the next few days, to accommodate homeless people.
