CoJ interventions to deal with Covid-19 in the City

On Tuesday, 17 March, Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Geoffrey Makhubo, and his Mayoral Committee met to determine the City’s plans moving forward concerning precautions and management relating to the spread of the Coronavirus.

The Mayor and his MMCs felt this meeting was necessary, not only because of the seriousness relating to the spread of the virus, but also because statistics released by the Department of Health show that Gauteng (with the City of Johannesburg in particular) has the majority of reported and confirmed cases in the country.

“As a City, we have come to accept that we are the epicentre of the Covid-19 in our country, given the number of cases that have been confirmed, and as such we are taking all the precautionary measures to guarantee the safety of our residents and employees,” said Makhubo.

He went on to say that the large population and number of densely populated settlements play a big role in the number of people affected, that is why CoJ will implement what they describe as “drastic yet responsible interventions,” to prevent the potential rapid spreading of the virus.

The following decisions have been made to prevent, contain and manage the spread of Covid-19 in the seven City regions.

• All 79 clinics within the City have been provided with protective equipment, and the personnel have been briefed on how to manage suspected and/ or confirmed cases of Covid-19 in line with the national and provincial guidelines and protocols.

• Clinical teams are being deployed to provide support to vulnerable and elderly residents throughout CoJ’s reaches. These teams also cover tracking and tracing people who potentially have been exposed to someone confirmed as infected with the virus.

• To keep in line with the president’s announcement temporarily prohibiting gatherings of over 100 people without a permit, the City has decided that all events that had been approved by the Joint Operations Centre have been cancelled and their approval has been revoked.

• Theatres within the City (Joburg, Roodepoort, and Soweto) have been directed to postpone all shows, events, and activities until further notice.

• All public services and communal areas have been closed until further notice. This includes public swimming pools, recreation, and civic centres, stadiums, libraries, sporting facilities, and the Johannesburg Zoo.

• Public transport entities such as Metro Bus and Rea Vaya are to drastically reduce operations. Only one person per two-seater and two people per three-seater bench will be allowed.

• Buses will be sanitized every 24 hours and washed twice per day. Sanitizers will be provided for commuters making use of bus services, and will be available at ticket offices and depots, as well as on the bus.

• Cash payments for bus trips have been suspended and commuters are encouraged to get tags, which will be issued for free during this period.

• The City’s Tourism Information Centres have been closed as of 18 March and will remain so until the City can finalise the provision of protective equipment and protocols for all personnel employed at the Centres in Nelson Mandela Square, Johannesburg Park Station, the Sandton Gautrain Station, and in Soweto

• The City’s Disaster Management Centre has been activated and will monitor the implementation of all countermeasures expressed, as well as the response to suspected and reported cases of the virus. All City departments will be deploying resources to the centre to provide 24-hour monitoring and support over an initial seven-day period.

• Lastly, the City has decided to strongly encourage bars, nightclubs, taverns, restaurants, cinemas and other public entertainment areas to immediately cease operations and limit themselves to providing off-premise consumption. As a National State of Disaster has been declared, the sale, dispensing, and transportation of alcoholic beverages have been prohibited from 6pm to 9am from Monday to Saturday, and from 1pm to 9am on Sundays and public holidays.

The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) has been directed to monitor and enforce strict adherence to the above-mentioned guidelines.

All the interventions listed above are being supported by several service delivery entities within the City, including Joburg Water, the Johannesburg Property Company (JPC) and Johannesburg Social Housing Company (JOSHCO).

Joburg Water will be providing emergency water supply to informal settlements to support the increase of personal hygiene. The servicing of Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) toilets within the informal settlements is also set to become notably more frequent.

Additional Joburg Water teams have been put on standby to respond to water interruptions and sewage leaks immediately and more effectively.

The JPC and JOSHCO have been directed to identify sites and facilities that can be utilised as self-isolation and quarantine areas for people whose permanent residential arrangements are not conducive to effective isolation and quarantine measures.

The City is ensuring that all personnel employed by the service delivery entities will be provided with additional protective equipment, and be briefed on limiting their exposure to the virus in order for the City to continue delivering essential services.

Revenue Services and Licensing Centres within the City will continue to operate in line with the new safety protocols that are aimed at protecting the front-line employees.

All City employees whose work can be executed from home and is non-essential as approved by their relevant managers will be released to work from home as of 20 March.

Mayor Makhubo concluded the meeting and his statement by urging residents to remain calm and sensible. “As a City, we cannot over-emphasise the need for calm and restraint, and cooperation with the authorities as we seek to prevent and reverse the upward trajectory of infections”.