Gauteng Premier David Makhura can be seen during the State of the Province address held at the Sefako Makgatho University in Ga-Rankuwa, 25 February 2020, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles
Gauteng Premier David Makhura says Gauteng is the epicentre of Covid-19 in South Africa with 42% of the cases, with Johannesburg being the epicentre in the province.
Speaking during the Gauteng Provincial Command Council briefing on Thursday, Makhura said the number of people who have tested positive in Johannesburg is 440, with Ekurhuleni recording 111, 90 in Tshwane, 12 in the West Rand, six in Sedibeng, and 123 which were unallocated.
Makhura said the province had been able to locate 90% of all the contacts.
“We have enhanced our capacity to trace contacts using technology and have traced 90% of all contacts. This is important in order to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the province.
“We have upscaled community screening and testing. Since 31 March, we have screened 26,841 people of which 440 displayed symptoms and were referred for testing and tested,” said Makhura.
In Alexandra, 1,693 people have been screened since the rollout of the campaign, with 201 of those having been tested and one found to be positive and placed on quarantine.
According to the premier, the provincial government is continuing to increase the number of beds that will be needed for all purposes.
The provincial government has also provided 15,000 households with food in partnership with NGOs and religious organisations.
“We are also providing homeless people with temporary shelter, food and sanitisers. We thank the NGOs and businesses for their generous donations and partnership in helping us meet the needs of the most vulnerable in our society,” he said.
Makhura said government had also introduced a number of initiatives to encourage learners to study at home under parents’ supervision since schools were closed on 18 March.
“With the use of digital platforms and broadcast media, government has ensured that learners remain meaningfully engaged during the lockdown period.”
Being aware of the possible impact on Gauteng’s economy, Makhura said the province was working with national government and social partners to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic.
“In the management of the pandemic, there are new economic opportunities that will be created, and we will fully exploit them as we explore measures to mitigate the negative impact.”
(Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde)
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