Cape Town – Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha have been flagged by the Health Department as areas of concern in the Cape Metro after they recorded the greatest number of new cases over a two-week period.
Mitchells Plain cases jumped from 88 to 251 and Khayelitsha cases from 78 to 150. In the past seven days, ending yesterday, Mitchells Plain recorded 238 cases, Khayelitsha 138, Klipfontein 205 and Tygerberg 369 new cases. Over the same period George recorded the highest number of new cases in the Western Cape with 774 infections.
“As we have seen during the first wave of infections, once community transmission is established within communities, especially in the metro, the situation can quickly deteriorate if not brought under control soon,” the provincial health department said.
“Reports from our local surveillance team indicate gatherings at social events, going to shopping centres while not adhering to protective measures such as wearing a mask and keeping a distance, has led to quite a few cases testing positive.”
The Health Department said residents should assume Covid-19 was everywhere they go and take all the necessary precautions at every point along their journey.
Premier Alan Winde said: “As we head into this holiday and tourism season, I appeal to everyone to be safe, to stick to the golden rules and avoid the 3Cs – close contact, confined spaces and crowded places.
’’This will enable us to protect the vulnerable, and support jobs and our economy at the same time.”
By yesterday, the number of active cases in the province stood at 5 085. There was an increase of 864 infections over 24 hours.
Cape Times