City of Joburg Speaker Nonceba Molwele added her voice to the chorus of concerns over the violation of government’s national lockdown regulations by some communities in the city.
This after media reports including on social media showed some residents congregating on streets, at shopping centres and other public spaces. In a statement, Molwele said, ”As councillors, our duty is to ensure that regulations are implemented and should educate our communities about this deadly pandemic which can’t be taken for granted. Where necessary we should liaise with law enforcement to restore order.
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“With most of the city’s population in densely populated informal settlements and townships, such areas are a perfect ground for the virus to spread quicker. If people don’t take the call of social distancing seriously, the virus will spread like wildfire.” This, she said, as the rate of infection in the province was reported to be increasing rapidly.
Molwele encouraged councillors to use electronic communication including social media to disseminate crucial information to avoid physical contact with the public. ”The sooner we adhere to regulations, the sooner we will combat the spread of this deadly virus and return to normal life. Joburg communities should play their part to stop the virus from claiming any more lives.”
She further urged councillors to inform residents to cancel all public gatherings except for funerals. ”We appeal to bereaved families to limit the number of mourners and let’s be good stewards of our communities.”
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