The Joint Operations Committee (JOC) on Covid-19 has issued a statement expressing its shock at the statics announced by Premier Sihle Zikalala, saying that AbaQulusi is one of the hot-spots in the Zululand District. As of Tuesday, August 4, confirmed Covid-19 positive cases in Zululand District were standing at 3328, with 16 deaths and 1823 recoveries.
JOC Secretary Phumlani Mchunu said in a statement that it was disappointing that AbaQulusi has now become the epicentre of Covid-19.
“One will recall that the first case reported positive in Zululand was from Vryheid. The first death was also reported in Vryheid,” said Mchunu. He highlighted what may be the main contributing factor in the spiking number of Covid-19 cases.
“Many factors may have contributed to make Vryheid lead in terms of the number of infected and deceased, eg most of the people from Zululand and other districts pass by Vryheid when travelling to other places. Zululand residents use Vryheid town for many services and shopping, so this may have contributed. The JOC is faced with a difficult situation of having high numbers of government officials testing positive for Covid-19. This affects service delivery, since all officials detected positive must be isolated and those identified as close contacts should be in quarantine,” added Mchunu.
Also read: AbaQulusi is now Covid-19 hotspot
Currently, the SAPS (which includes six police stations) has 51 cases; Department of Social Development five cases; Department of Education 138 cases; Economic Development, Tourism & Environmental Affairs one case; SASSA two cases; Department of Transport 11 cases; Department of Health 62 cases; Department of Home Affairs one case; and AbaQulusi Municipality 17 positive cases.
“More than 250 government officials from various departments in AbaQulusi were infected recently; some have recovered and some are still recovering. We wanted to just give a clear picture of the challenge we are facing as the JOC. Another challenge the JOC noted is that most businesses in the business sector are not observing Covid-19 regulations when a positive case is detected. Some don’t understand the regulations clearly, but others prioritise money above people’s lives; they want to continue business as usual, without even disinfecting the premises. As the JOC we condemn such actions. The regulations must be observed and adhered to. I urge the community at large to stay at home, wear masks, practice social distancing, wash your hands regularly, and lastly, sanitize your hands. The Covid-19 storm has come to AbaQulusi, but it will pass. So let’s join hands together to combat the spread of Covid-19,” added Mchunu.
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