Gauteng Premier David Makhura says he is consulting about introducing a localised hard lockdown in the province. He says the province is seeing a sharp increase in the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases. The province is seeing about 4 000 infections a day.
The latest figures from the Health Department show that 49 937 COVID-19 infections have been recorded, over 37 000 of which are active.
Below is a provincial breakdown of COVID-19 cases in SA:
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Makhura has appealed for behavioural change.
“Harder lockdown being localised in some of the areas where things are just getting out of hand; the infection rate is just getting out of hand. People are not observing any of the measures that have been put in place. So this Saturday’s we doing consultations about exploring some of the reintroduction of the harsher measures. Some of them may include issues pertaining to alcohol.”
In the video below, Makhura elaborates on his concerns:
Pressure on Hospitals
Professor Steve Moeng from the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital has said that health workers are the ones who bear the brunt of the rising number of patients seeking healthcare.
“We had found ourselves up to mid-April, being able to cope with only one ward. That one could deal with PUI’s and it could also deal with COVID-19 positive patients. In the past 10-14 days, what we have seen coming in, is that we have grown from that one ward to more than seven dedicated wards that are dedicated to PUI’s (Person Under Investigation) and COVID-19 positive cases. Every day you need to be able to sit down and look at the patients coming in and figure out the best way of being able to accommodate them on the field.”
He also said, unfortunately, the number of trauma cases have risen due the lifting on the ban on the sale of alcohol.
“And unfortunately that trauma is preventable. Most of the trauma is related to how we drive on the road and unfortunately, it’s related to the element of alcohol. I’m afraid alcohol contributes to trauma, and we need to deal with that. Our numbers show since we have moved to Level-3, those numbers have gone to 80-90% of what we normally see in trauma. We cannot afford to deal with multiple pandemics at the same time.”
In the video below, Gauteng hospitals bear the brunt as COVID-19 infections spike:
Schools affected by COVID-19
Makhura says close to 600 schools in Gauteng have been affected by COVID-19. He says at least 184 learners and 428 teachers have tested positive.
“So in total, the learners plus the teachers we have 687 people who have tested COVID-19 positive. We have closed down 71 schools. But as you know, the school is not closed forever it is closed down when there is a case decontaminated and then reopened.”
In the video below, is a discussion on measures to deal with COVID-19 in Gauteng:
