Some people are expressing concern about government’s way of dealing with those who test positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) in townships. One Cape Town resident says a female member of his family, who worked at a retail store, tested positive and was told to self-isolate.
The woman continued to live with her husband and her children in a small RDP house. Later in that week, the woman’s teenage daughter and husband also tested positive.
The man says the two other children, aged three and 10, who tested negative had to be removed from the home.
“It’s impossible for most people in townships where they live in RDP houses and informal settlements. So, it’s important for government to take them to a space where they can self-isolate. So the issue now is if I am positive, in my family there is a big chance that I am going to infect everybody in the family. So government must take a positive person into a self-quarantine from where they are staying currently.”
In the video below, the SABC looks a life under self-isolation:
In March, a man from Limpopo was arrested for failure to self-isolate after testing positive for COVID-19. Limpopo Health MEC, Phophi Ramathuba, said the man tested positive in Gauteng and, instead of self-isolation, he went back to his home village outside Tzaneen.
After his results came out positive, the tracer teams in Gauteng struggled to locate him until he was found in Limpopo. The man was believed at the time to have had contact with other people when he went back home.
In the video below, is a discussion on the importance of isolation:
Forced isolation
In April, the North West Democratic Alliance (DA) accused the provincial health department of placing patients under what it called forced isolation. DA Provincial Spokesperson for Social Development and Health, Gavin Edwards said patients have been forcefully isolated at the Klerksdorp Tshepong Hospital while awaiting their COVID-19 test results.
“The undue forced isolation of patients will discourage patients possibly infected with COVID-19 of coming forward and presenting themselves for testing. These patients have been waiting for four days for their test results instead of the prescribed 48 hours, which is just unacceptable, and not only adds the burden on their health but also increases the risk on infections. The DA will continue to monitor the situation, and ensure the safety of the patients and health workers is made a priority,” Edwards said.
However, North West Health MEC, Madoda Sambatha, said his portfolio had to manage the quarantine of patients to prevent the spread of the virus.
“Any doctor who says his or her patient must be given a self-quarantine must do so in writing and request permission from the MEC of health. The MEC of health will then send officials to check whether self-quarantine is possible, but if not, everybody who cannot self-quarantine at home is going to be quarantined in a government facility. The DA must be clear as to who are they speaking on behalf.”
Police under quarantine and self-isolation
Meanwhile, police officers in the Eastern Cape who were deployed at a roadblock in Aberdeen have been quarantined in Graaff Reinet, while 16 police members from Aberdeen are in self-isolation – awaiting their COVID-19 results. National Police Spokesperson, Brigadier Vish Naidoo, says the SAPS members came into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
“In terms of the protocols on the decontamination, self-isolation and quarantine those protocols have been followed. But of course the Aberdeen police station is continuing as normal, service delivery has not been compromised. We have roped in resources from other neighbouring stations and areas to ensure service delivery continues.” – Additional reporting by Mcebisi Ngqina.
In the video below, the Eastern Cape says that it is preparing various sites for isolation:
