Covid-19: Gauteng Command Council says now it is up to residents to prevent the spread of coronavirus
As the government restrictions, the Gauteng Command Council said that it is important for people to self-impose their own safety measures.
The Gauteng Provincial Command Council, led by Premier David Makhura, hosted the weekly Provincial Command Council briefing on 28 August.
Makhura said that the briefing would focus on the province’s move to Level 2 and the extent of the preparations for the economy. He said that there are concrete projects that they will be rolling out to ensure that they protect jobs and create jobs.
Dr Sithembile Nqeketho from the World Health Organisation said that despite the move to Level 2, the risk surrounding the coronavirus has not changed. She said that in many countries a second surge has taken place as a result of relaxed safety measures. “This has resulted in an increase in cases in different. Some of the reasons are that when the measures were relaxed there was insufficient time to observe what was happening. Everything was opened at the same time and that is a risk we have to be aware of.”
She added that behaviour was also observed and people going to parties and travelling to other countries has increased the number of cases. She said that people play an important role in decreasing the transmission of the virus through non-pharmaceutical interventions. “It is incredibly important that we sustain current behaviour over time… this is the best way right now to reduce infections and disrupt the chains of transmissions.”
Professor Lekan Ayo-Yusuf highlighted the implications of moving from Level 3 to Level 2. He said that while the risk is still the same, the healthcare facilities are better prepared. “It is a must to adhere to all non-pharmaceutical interventions to protect ourselves and everyone else. The key message here is that it’s not just about you, it’s about the community.”
Ayo-Yusuf said that while government-imposed preventative measures are reduced, it’s important for people to adopt self-imposed safety measures. He highlighted that adopting a range of preventative measures, such as hand washing, wearing a mask and socially distancing is far more impactful than adopting only one of these preventative measures.
He said that if all people maintained all preventative measures, there would be a very significant drop in cases. “Let’s be careful, not fearful. The economy must continue, we must live our livelihood. As we pursue that livelihood let’s take care, not only of ourselves but the weakest and most vulnerable.”
Dr Mary Kawonga said that one country that has managed the reopening of the economy fairly well is Germany. Following the initial surge, they have managed to avoid another surge by practising safety measures. She added that once they noticed a small surge they would send out teams to quell the small outbreak in check. She said that if people do not maintain safety measures the risk of a second surge is high. Kawonga used Israel as an example where the second surge was far higher than the initial surge and they had to impose another lockdown.
She added that sharing this information is intended to scare but rather to help people guard against a second surge. Makhura said that the weekly average of cases has dropped significantly and there are on average 720 weekly cases, compared to the people when there were over 5 000. Makhura highlighted that there has been no advice from scientists, clinicians and district to suspend the sale of alcohol once again however he has encouraged people to consume alcohol responsibly.
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