The Young Nurses Indaba Trade Union (YNITU) is calling on the government to effect a travel ban to “adequately” deal with the pandemic.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says 3 of the 14 new cases of the coronavirus in South Africa are of people who are older than 70.
The virus can affect elderly people more severely.
All of the confirmed new cases are of people who had travelled overseas.
YNITU in a statement says if government fails effect a travel ban, it will withdraw the labour of its nurses from the front line.
“We have heard of nurses from a clinic in Sedibeng who came in contact with a person who was confirmed to have the virus. The patient went to the clinic and was referred to a hospital but at the hospital, the patient was discharged and was told its just minor flu. This despite the patient having indicated that they had come in contact with a person from Italy. The patient later came back and it was only during that time that they diagnosed them and put them into isolation.”
Mkhize says in a statement that 7 new cases have been confirmed in Gauteng, 6 in the Western Cape and one in KwaZulu-Natal.
YNITU says the country’s borders should have been closed and travel banned until the pandemic is contained.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called a special cabinet meeting for Sunday to discuss ways of intensifying the battle against the coronavirus in South Africa as the number of confirmed cases increases to 38. YNITU says government should have had this meeting long time ago.
