The Western Cape Health Department is considering a form of sanction against a man who allegedly lied about being a coronavirus suspect.
Department Spokesperson, Mark van der Heever, says the man in his 30s subsequently confessed to wanting to jump the queue at a local clinic after he realised he was also feverish.
He had not travelled to China as he had earlier claimed.
The department says at the time, with the information he initially presented to health officials, he matched the case definition of a suspected Covid-19 patient.
Van Der Heever has warned the public not to use the coronavirus for nefarious reasons.
“Our health authorities were alerted to a suspected case in Parow. Our response protocol kicked in which is sending out a health team to the situation based on the information presented by the patient at the time. At the time, he made the case definition for Covid-19. However, on further investigation, it was found that the person did not have any travel history to an affected area. So, we ask the public not to use the Covid-19 situation for their personal gain.”
Provincial authorities have also appealed to the public not to create or succumb to panic around the global health emergency.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde says, “We need to follow basic hygiene protocols. I also want to appeal to the public, ‘just don’t start sending on untested, unverified social media messages.’ This doesn’t help anybody. We need to be responsible. We need to play our part in the world.”
Organisers of the Cape Town Jazz Festival have announced that legendary South African pianist and musician, Abdullah Ibrahim, has withdrawn from a planned performance at the festival later this month.
This is a decision taken in light of concerns around travelling due to the Covid-9 virus.
However, the festival will go ahead as planned with a replacement for Ibrahim due to be announced soon.
Earlier, a second coronavirus case was confirmed in South Africa. A 39-year-old lady from Gauteng had direct contact with the first case in KwaZulu-Natal. She is part of the group of 10 that had traveled to Italy.
In the video below, Minister Zweli Mkhize gives an update:
INFOGRAPHIC: CORONAVIRUS IN AFRICA
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