Eastern Cape premier in self-quarantine after staffer tests positive for Covid-19

Eastern Cape Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane is in self-quarantine at home after a staff member contracted the novel coronavirus. His spokesperson says the premier would undergo a second Covid-19 test. The premier will work from home and continue to hold virtual meetings with the provincial Coronavirus Command Council.

In a statement released on Saturday, Mabuyane’s spokesperson Mvusiwekhaya Sicwetsha said it had come to the premier’s attention that one of the staff members had tested positive. They were self-isolating at home.

“Premier Mabuyane spoke to this member… and wished the staff member well during this period. Out of abundance of caution, premier Mabuyane will do a second Covid-19 test, and while he will be waiting for his results he will be in quarantine at his home,” Sicwetsha said.

The premier would continue his work from home, interacting with Members of the Executive Council virtually and would also continue to chair meetings of the Provincial Coronavirus Command Council virtually, Sicwetsha said.

“All the public activities of the premier, including the weekly media briefing scheduled for Sunday, 31 May 2020 to update the people of our province about the status of the implementation of the Covid-19 containment and mitigation strategy, the school reopening monitoring visit to ensure schools are implementing Covid-19 prevention measures, monitoring of the payment of social grants in line with the directives of the Provincial Executive Council and visits to manufacturing plants in the economic hubs of the province are now cancelled.”

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