Warrant officer at Athlone police station tests positive for Covid-19

A police officer in the Western Cape has tested positive for Covid-19, says national police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo.

“I can confirm that a warrant officer at the Athlone police station in the Western Cape has tested positive for Covid-19. This is the first police officer in the province to test positive,” Naidoo said on Sunday.

As a result, the station was immediately evacuated on Saturday and all officers who were on the same shift were placed in self-isolation.

“There are about 20 of them who have been placed in self-isolation pending their tests results,” Naidoo added.

The police station has since been decontaminated and will remain closed until Monday.

“However, service delivery has not been compromised because the community service centre of the station is still running from an adjacent building so community members can still source the services from Athlone police station,” Naidoo said.

As of Saturday, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases nationally is at 2 028, with 75 053 having been tested.

The national health department also reported the death of a 61-year-old man from the Western Cape who had underlying health issues.

This brings the number of Covid-19-related deaths in the country to 25.