Homeless confident in City of Johannesburg’s preparedness during lockdown

People housed at the Shelter of the Homeless in Braamfontein, Johannesburg say they are confident with the measures that have been put in place in preparation for the 21-day lockdown that commenced at midnight.

While some at the facility say they are not worried about having increased numbers at the facility, some have stressed the importance of having new people at the shelter tested for COVID-19.

A resident at the shelter says he feels very safe. “The facility has sanitised the whole property. Pest control guys were here first and today, the whole facility has also been sanitinised.”

He has, however, requested that management controls the influx of people during lockdown.

“What we are asking from management is to test people coming to the shelter because we don’t know who’s been affected on the outside.”

“I do feel safe being inside, I think it’s more dangerous if I had to go out or go back to the streets or even just travel.”

On Thursday, the Health Ministry said the number of positive novel coronavirus cases now stands at 927.

This is an increase of 218 from Wednesday. Gauteng still has the highest number with 409 confirmed cases. The Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal-Natal are following with 229 and 134 cases, respectively.

Gauteng has almost half of the nation’s positive cases of COVID-19. This may be attributed to the province being the biggest gateway into the country.

The Free State has 49 cases, but the number is expected to increase rapidly after two churches that had mass gatherings this month confirmed that some of their congregants had tested positive for the viral infection.

The announcement of the new cases comes as South Africa enters a national lockdown.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has again appealed to South Africans to adhere to the lockdown regulations.

In the video below, Ramaphosa gives soldiers their orders ahead of the nationwide lockdown:

In the video below, SABC’s Gillian Pillay reports on police’s state of readiness in Johannesburg: