Another 33 people die of coronavirus in the Western Cape

*Note: Due to different reporting times, provincial statistics will differ to national statistics by a few cases on a given day.

A total of 22,087 confirmed cases are now recorded, up by 984 from the day before.

While 10,135 were currently infected, 11,431 have recovered, the numbers show.

Nationally, 34,357 confirmed cases have been reported across the country, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said.

He was in the Western Cape on Monday, where he was shown, among others, the temporary 850-bed hospital at the Cape Town International Convention Centre as well as the 60-bed facility built by Medicins Sans Frontiers at the Thusong Centre in Khayelitsha.

“We are working closely with the national Department of Health, ensuring that all of the nuts and bolts of our response are in place and that our approaches are aligned,” Winde said.

“These sites are part of our ongoing preparations to ensure that at the peak – which is expected at the end of June, beginning of July in the Western Cape – we are able to offer care to those that require it.”

Winde said Level 3 restrictions – which were implemented on Monday – relied on residents to act responsibly.

“This means being responsible when leaving the house and ensuring that we are practicing social distancing, wearing our masks and washing our hands regularly. This also means behaving responsibly by avoiding large gatherings, obeying the regulations which are in place and drinking responsibly so that we are all contributing meaningfully towards the fight against Covid-19 in the province,” he said.

“From early this morning we have seen long queues forming around liquor stores across the country as alcohol sales have been re-opened. During the lockdown period, when alcohol sales were banned, we saw a significant dip in the number of people visiting emergency and trauma units.

“We will be keeping a close eye on the situation as alcohol is responsible for many harms in our communities, including violence, abuse, and road accidents. All of these have the potential to result in increased pressure on our hospital facilities.”

He said should it be found that alcohol was not being used responsibly and there is an associated increase in trauma cases at our hospitals, provincial government “will explore the options available to reduce this impact”.

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