The Department of Health working with Police arrested a man who tested positive for Covid-19 and instead of self- quarantining left Gauteng to Limpopo where he interacted with other people.
This is according to information issued by departmental spokesperson Neil Shikwambana this morning (Saturday). He indicated that the person’s test results came out positive and tracer teams in Gauteng struggled to locate him until he was found in Limpopo, where the Health Department acted swiftly to have the man arrested and taken into isolation.
Although Shikwambana could not reveal as to where exactly the person was arrested, he quoted Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba to have said her department will not hesitate to take in anyone who breaks the rules. “Being an under- resourced province, the only way we can win this battle is to ensure that those who must be screened and tested do so, and those who must self quarantine and isolate also do so. Those who fail to observe these basics and expose our communities to danger will be taken in,” Ramathuba stressed.
She added that she was worried that her department might have its hands full dealing with potential imported cases of people who deliberately ignored the call to lockdown: “The inter-movements of people between provinces will obviously bear consequences as we have said. We just have to be prepared to fight hard because for now there is nothing we can do about it. It is what it is,” stated Ramathuba and concluded by saying more arrests are expected of individuals who might fail to self-quarantine and isolate.
Story: Endy Senyatsi
