The Western Cape Health Department says there has been a 23% increase in COVID-19 cases on the Garden Route in the last week. Health District spokesperson Nadia Ferreira says all sub-districts had significant increases, except for Bitou and Knysna which have decreased and Kannaland which remained unchanged.
The Garden Route was one of the hotspots during the second wave of the pandemic. Ferreira says none of the district hospitals are currently under pressure, but they are starting to see increases in admissions at the George Regional Hospital.
“All situations are being actively monitored. We remind the public of the three Cs: avoid closed spaces with poor ventilation, crowded places and close-contact settings. We also want to urge the community to stop the spread by wearing their masks when leaving the house and to maintain a distance of one point five metres from others. Even if you have received the vaccine, these precautions must still be practised to protect our families, friends and vulnerable members of our communities.”
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Meanwhile, the Eastern Cape government says it expects the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic to hit the province by next week. The province currently has more than 1 300 active cases with a sharp spike recorded in the past two weeks.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Metro has been identified again as a hotspot. Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has cautioned citizens to be extra vigilant.
“In the past seven days, there has been a 59.6 percent increase in active cases from 821 on the 29th of May to 1 310 on the 5th of June. We have observed a rapid rise in active cases in the Nelson Mandela Metro and Sarah Baartman and the Buffalo City Metro.”
