Sophiatown Police Station shut its doors at around 11am on 24 June after the station was informed of additional people testing positive for Covid-19. According to the station’s spokesperson, Captain TJ de Bruyn, at least three people working at the station had confirmed that they had the virus on the morning of 24 June, prompting the police to take action. He expressed, “The station has been closed and will remain closed over the next few days as we undergo deep cleansing of the station.” This will be the second time in two weeks that the station closed for Covid-19, as another positive case was identified at the station last week. The Captain stated that the station was sanitised shortly afterwards, that but this will need to happen again after the new confirmed cases. De Bruyn also stated that people who had been in contact with the positive cases at the station were being traced while others immediately went into self-isolation. The closing of the station will not stop the police from their safety and security responsibilities. De Bruyn explained, “We will still be patrolling within our precinct and arresting anyone found to be breaking any laws. Our charge office will now be at the Chapel in the station and vehicles and officers remain on standby.” He added that the station’s telephone will not be operational during this time but advised residents to call 10111 if they had any emergencies. Members of the public needing documents to be certified or any other information are advised to use their next nearest police station.
