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Taxi passengers heading to the Eastern Cape under quarantine in Cape Town

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A taxi loaded with passengers is under police guard at Lagoon Beach Hotel in Milnerton, Cape Town, after being turned back at Beaufort West enroute to the Eastern Cape on Thursday night.

The passengers claim they were told that the driver of the taxi was being sought by authorities as he had apparently tested positive for COVID-19.

They say they were turned back to Cape Town for quarantine at the hotel, but are refusing opting for home isolation.

The group says they have been told that a doctor will be dispatched to test them.

This comes as the total number of cases in the country now stands at 8 232 and 161 people have died from coronavirus related complications.

Below is an infographic of the latest COVID-19 cases in SA:

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In a similar incident that occurred last month, Limpopo Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba says the man tested positive in Gauteng and instead of self-isolation, he went back to his home village outside Tzaneen.

He was traced by the tracer team with the help of the provincial health department and the police. The department says it will not hesitate to take action against anyone who breaks the rules.

The man is believed to have had contact with other people when he went back home. After his results came out positive, the tracer teams in Gauteng struggled to locate him until he was found in Limpopo.

Ramathuba has expressed concern that the inter-movements of people between provinces will exacerbate the spread of the coronavirus in the country. She says the department might have problems dealing with imported cases if people ignore a call to lockdown.

INFOGRAPHIC: SA’s COVID-19 response in stages:    

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Additional reporting by Jabulani Baloi

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