Dept asks for Easter stay-away

Following confirmation of a fourth Coronavirus (Covid-19) case in the province on Monday, Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba pleaded with Limpopo residents who are currently in other provinces in the country not to come back home for Easter in order to protect elderly persons in rural communities.
Limpopo on Monday confirmed three new cases bringing the total number to four. This after the Minister of Health Zwelini Mkhize’s announcement that by the time of going to print South Africa has 402 confirmed cases. This means there has been an increase of 128 from Sunday’s announcement, Mkhize explained.
Ramathuba said “As the department we want to reiterate our message to our people in Gauteng and other provinces not to come back home during the Easter holidays because we have vulnerable old people at home and we don’t want to run a risk of them getting infected. If you infect them it will be difficult to trace them and manage the spread of the virus. We don’t want the pandemic to reach our rural areas because it will be hard to manage. We know that you love your grannies and parents but this is not the right time to share your love with them but time to protect them. You can protect them by staying where you are. It is worrying that cases in Gauteng increase rapidly hence we plead with Limpopo residents who are in Gauteng not to come back home even though they don’t show signs of Covid-19.”
Ramathuba emphasised that a team from her department will monitor the three until they are cleared. According to her, the three new cases are South African citizens from the Western Cape who travelled to several high risk countries in Europe earlier this month. Upon return last week, the family of three (husband, wife and a child) decided to subject themselves to self-quarantine at a private farm lodge outside Lephalale, she explained.
Ramathuba further stated that the three have assured authorities that they have made no contact from the airport to the farm since they used their private vehicle and there are no workers on the farm. All are asymptomatic but voluntarily tested because they came from high risk countries, she added. They will not be admitted to hospital since they are not sick, she said adding that the department had encouraged them to continue with self-isolation. Once they complete the isolation period and more tests are done to ensure they are negative they can be released to their home province.
She reiterated her call to limit movement between provinces to arrest the spread of the virus: “As the numbers continue to increase, the risk of travellers spreading the virus to other areas within the country is also increasing which might make it difficult to contain the virus. For us as a country to achieve a flat curve we must discourage movements and call on people to remain wherever they are,” Ramathuba concluded.

Story: ENDY SENYATSI
>>endy@observer.co.za