“We have said to Western Cape that part of your conditions to grant people to move, test them so that you know that if there are people who are positive in these burial trips, isolate those people. If they had been doing that, we wouldn’t be where we are. But we can’t stop those people from Western Cape from coming to Eastern Cape because this is their home that’s why we’re planning with the Minister Mkhize on how best can we deal with this situation,” Mabuyane explains.
Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize arrived in Eastern Cape on Monday – his second visit in two weeks. The province has more than 1 356 cases.
The country’s COVID-19 death toll has passed the 200 mark. Minister Mkhize announced that 12 more people have died, bringing the total to 206.
Authorities are also concerned that people in some areas have stopped adhering to lockdown regulations.
In the video below, SABC News reporter Yanga Funani reports further:
Western cape COVID-19 epicentre in South Africa:
The Western Cape has become the epicentre of COVID-19 in South Africa recording the highest number of infections in the country. As it stands, the province has 5 621 confirmed cases.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde attributed the rise in the number of confirmed cases in the province to an aggressive tracking and tracing system.
Public health specialist from the UCT Faculty of Health Sciences, Dr Kerrin Begg, discusses the importance of mass screening and testing in Western Cape.
Below is a statement and an infographic of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country as at Monday 11 May:
Loading…
Mkhize gives an update on his visit to the Eastern Cape:
Cuban doctors
A number of Cuban doctors are set to be deployed to the hotspots of the Eastern and Western Cape to bolster the teams fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Both provinces have been showing rapid increases in infections. Mkhize says the two provinces operate as a single eco-system and the infections rate in the Eastern Cape will mirror the Western Cape.
Mkhize says the two provinces are being monitored closely. “We can just say that we’re watching, we are trying everything to stop the spread of infections in both provinces. That’s precisely why you hear that the President is visiting Eastern Cape and the following day the Western Cape. It is because the proximity is affecting the people.”
