Waterfall resident tests positive for Covid-19
WATERFALL – The Waterfall management company has confirmed that a resident tested positive for coronavirus after an overseas trip.
Reddam House Waterfall confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on 17 March.
According to a communication sent out by the school, a parent in the school community has tested positive for the virus, which has been declared a worldwide pandemic. The man, who has not been named, had recently travelled to Europe and has two children at the school.
The man and his family are currently in self-isolation while his family is being tested for the virus.
“Given that our school is a small community, it is possible that the parent came into contact with other students, staff and parents prior to being tested,” the statement read in part.
“We will be advising students and staff who were likely to have had direct contact with the family so that they can abide by the 14-day self-quarantine period.”
Reddam Waterfall will be closing today, 18 March in line with safety measures announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 15 March. Ramaphosa declared COVID-19 a national disaster.
The school communicated that parents who wished to fetch their children from school today (17 March) were free to do so. The school currently plans to reopen after the school holidays and encouraged its community to remain vigilant.
“The school is also conducting a thorough deep-clean and implementing disinfection procedures. Further updates and information will be sent in due course. We urge you to remain calm and cautious during this difficult time and our thoughts remain with the affected family.”
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The Waterfall management company confirmed that the man is a resident at the Waterfall Country Estate. In a statement, manager at the estate, Grant Poole, said that the infected resident has alerted the relevant authorities and has assured them that the tracing team will contact the people he has been in contact with. The resident has also alerted individuals they have been in contact with to notify them of the situation.
Poole added, “The family of this resident, including spouse and children, are in the process of being tested for the virus. We have been told that the results take between 36 to 72 hours to come through and therefore we do not have an update, at this time, on whether there are any further infections within the family.
He contested reports that said that the infected resident and their spouse were in contact with any personal trainers at the gym at the estate’s clubhouse. Poole said, “However, the spouse of this resident did have contact with the spouse of one of the personal trainers of the clubhouse gym, where they recently met up at Taste restaurant. We feel that the precautionary measures already set out, and implemented, remain necessary and will continue as communicated.”
The family has not been in contact with the gym in the clubhouse nor the children’s play area since his return.
Poole said, “We would also like to highlight that the infected resident is asymptomatic, showing no signs of a fever or cough, though indicated tightness in the chest. We once again would like to thank him for his transparency in this matter in helping us to safeguard our community.”
The Waterfall management company further stated that they would not disclose the identity of the resident and therefore it would not be possible to connect with him for comment.
Sinenhlanhla Jimoh, the spokesperson for the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) said that she could not confirm cases of single patients due to their ethics, but can only confirm the number of latest cases in the Province, as issued by the Department of Health.
The public is advised to call the coronavirus hotline on 0800 029 999 with any suspected cases of coronavirus, or to report or obtain information relevant to the pandemic.
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