Covid-19: SA lockdown off to rocky start
No fewer than 24 people were arrested in KwaZulu-Natal on the first day of the national shutdown.
A MASK shortage, commuters stranded in town and no fewer than 24 people were arrested in KwaZulu-Natal as the first day of the national shutdown got off to a rocky start.
Sihle Zikalala, KZN Premier, said the perpetrators were charged with breaching disaster regulations and attempted murder.
Zikalala held an emergency press briefing in Mayville along with MEC for Health, Sinegugu Simelane-Zulu to give updates on how the KZN government was handling the shutdown.
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The briefing was against the backdrop of the country’s first two deaths from the coronavirus pandemic.
“We want to re-iterate that we have an individual and collective responsibility to ensure that these two deaths will not be in vain – but instead galvanise us all as a society to roll up our sleeves and strengthen our fight against this deadly pandemic,” said Zikalala.
Zikalala said people had responded positively to the lockdown but there were some issues that needed to be ironed out.
Chief among those issues was holding talks with KZN taxi associations after they halted all operations across the city leading to many commuters, some essential service workers, stranded.
Zikalala said he would be holding talks with the South African National Taxi Association Council after they complained they were not consulted on the lockdown regulations.
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Simelane-Zulu, MEC for Health revealed that there was a shortage of N95 masks for healthcare workers in hospitals due to non-delivery by suppliers.
“The challenges we are having in relation to masks is not that we have run out of masks altogether, but because we have already ordered stock and the stock was meant to augment what we had. Unfortunately now, it’s a season and everyone is looking for masks. When the department engages the suppliers they often say they have (and when) they are given an order, they don’t come forward,” she explained.
The MEC said they had ordered 500 000 N95 and 3-ply masks.
She also dismissed rumours that healthcare workers are re-using masks.
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