Mkhize: People are still behaving in a far too risky way at funerals

In a statement on Saturday night, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said the behaviour of mourners at funerals could be contributing to the spread of Covid-19.

There are now 3,034 confirmed cases in the country and the total number of tests conducted to date is 108,021.

The minister reported that two more people had died, raising the total to 52. They were from the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, respectively.

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He said that the majority of deceased patients were elderly people and individuals with another health problem, or several, known as comorbidities.

“This is consistent with the trends that we have seen worldwide. We therefore urge these vulnerable groups to adhere to their treatment regimens and maximise on staying at home.”

He added that the health department had observed risky behaviour from people attending funerals (even with the limited number of 50) “because of the cultural behaviours or rituals that are performed at such funerals”.

“Social distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic. Unfortunately, we have observed that people hug and hold each other at funerals (as part of giving comfort), they cry and cough next to each other, pass a spade to each other to pour the sand, they wash hands in one basin, and have a buffet meal where they use the same spoons to dish up,” said Mkhize.

“We wish to warn South Africans, if you attend a funeral and practise any of the above behaviour, you are at risk to be infected to Covid-19. The reality is there could be one person at that funeral who is Covid-19 positive and may not be aware.

“We emphasise that if you do not have to, do not attend a funeral. When you do, practise maximum hygiene, ie, wash your hands, social distancing and wear a cloth mask.”

The minister went on to say that the department was “very pleased that the number of tests being conducted on a daily basis has significantly increased”.

“In fact, we take pride that in the whole of Africa, South Africa is leading in testing. We want to also emphasise that the daily tests that we report exclude repeat tests on one individual. A repeat test is done for confirmation or when a person tests to check their recovery. To illustrate this, today we report that we have conducted 108,021. However, the total tests done to date (including repeat tests) is 123 008.

“We must also recognise that the reason for this increase in the past two weeks is due to the proactive approach of provinces to actively screen and test members of the community,” added Mkhize.

“We are aware that some citizens have rejected our health workers when they approach them at their homes or in public places. We want to assure the public that testing for Covid-19 is for your own good and also for those you love and must protect.”