Wear a mask urges KZN premier as Covid-19 cases surge

KWAZULU-NATAL Premier Sihle Zikalala has urged the public to adhere to social distancing rules and wearing of masks as cases of Covid-19 surge in the province.

This week, KZN surpassed the 100 000 mark in terms of Covid-19 cases, going past the Western Cape.

In all, the province now has 100 494 cases with 1 523 deaths.

“What is even more worrying is that our province has been reporting the highest rate of new infections in the country since the beginning of August, despite all our efforts to flatten the curve against the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Also read: Durban North resident speaks about Covid-19 recovery

“These figures call for each and every one of us to play our part now. We want to sound alarm bells that we are now right in the storm and on the verge of becoming the epicentre of this deadly pandemic,” he said.

Zikalala said of serious concern was some people continuing to venture out in public without wearing face masks despite this being declared a criminal offense in terms of the regulations of the lockdown.

“We are deeply concerned about this irresponsible and reprehensible behavior. Although we are pleased that many people have survived after being infected by the Covid-19 virus, we are appealing to all our people to not sit on their laurels; but to continue following guidelines such as wearing masks in public at all times, washing their hands regularly with soap and water or sanitise their hands with alcohol-based hand sanitisers. We also appeal to public transport authorities to ensure that taxis, buses and trains are sanitised to protect passengers from being infected by this virus,” he said.

Related story: Seek treatment for Covid-19 and other ailments, urges health department

Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting

Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).

At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.

You can also sign up for news alerts on Telegram. Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5532.  

Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.