GOVERNMENT will enforce the law on those who do not comply with the president’s instructions regarding the Coronavirus.
That was the message from Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu, MEC for Health who addressed the media on Monday, regarding the province’s state of readiness to deal with the novel Coronavirus.
“The security cluster is going to be part of enforcing (along) with our environmental health people,” she said.
This was in relation to the president’s declaration that groups of over 100 people are now prohibited.
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Simelane-Zulu said this automatically meant that events like the Durban MSC Cruise would have to be canceled.
However, the MSC Cruise released a statement on Monday saying the ports pf Durban and Cape Town would be open to passengers and crew members and that “the cruise season is continuing as planned.”
MSC said it was still seeking clarity over the 100 people ban, but would be taking precautions like denying access to any guests who had been into high-risk countries in the past 14 days.
Meanwhile, according to the MEC, dhe Department of Health will be expanding isolation wards to all 13 KwaZulu-Natal districts, to limit moving people from one district to another. There will be 52 isolation wards throughout eThekwini which will be ready this week.
“We are not going to be bringing a virus into any spac. The hospitals we are identifying are going to be hosting people in that particular district because every district needs to be ready,” she said.
To allay fears that healthcare workers might carry the virus back home, Simelane-Zulu said healthcare workers will be given protective gear in isolation wards which will be disposed of immediately after they exit their respective wards and will be constantly tested for the virus.
“Every person that works within an isolation area (including cleaners and waste management staff) has proper protocols to follow and has been trained properly on what needs to be done,” she said.
The MEC emphasised that the law empowers the government to forcefully quarantine coronavirus patients, as a matter of public health, should they refuse to do it of their own volition.
“There’s no specific time (for isolation). If it takes 21 days for us to detect whether you have the virus or not, that’s how long we are going to keep you,” she said.
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On long-lines at clinics and hospitals, the MEC said officials will monitor the lines and ensure there’s enough social distance (1 metre) between people to avoid possible spreading of the Coronavirus.
The MEC also gave an update on patient zero, saying the man has fully recovered and will be cleared out of isolation very soon.
There are currently 62 confirmed Coronavirus cases in South Africa as of March 16, all from international travellers.
Meanwhile, the Durban University of Technology and University of KwaZulu-Natal have both cancelled classes indefinitely.
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