Cape Town – A 73-year-old Bo-Kaap resident is among 348 people in the Western cape who have tested positive for Covid-19.
Mogamat Salie is believed to be the first confirmed case in the close-knit community. His diagnosis came to light after his family urged people who had come into contact with him to take the necessary precautions and undergo testing.
It is still unclear how Salie – now “upbeat” in isolation at a hospital, according to his family – contracted the coronavirus.
The Covid-19 Bo-Kaap Community Response Team issued a statement on behalf of the Salie family, saying he was diagnosed on Monday after visiting the local hospital for a different ailment.
“As a family, we have been in close contact with the Department of Health and medical team at the hospital. We are following the department’s advice and are currently in quarantine.
"We are not aware of how he contracted the virus and whether it was within our community or not,” the statement read.
“We are sharing this information as we feel it is vital for ensuring that the Bo-Kaap community is kept safe, educated about the virus and stays united.
"The coronavirus can be carried by many and they may not even be aware of it, as in the case of our father.”
The family appealed to the public to respect their privacy “as we address this matter as a family”.
The response team’s lead co-ordinator, Masturah Adams said since the department broke the news to the family,”the entire community has been tremendously supportive of Mr Salie and his family”.
“We have ensured residents are educated about the virus so that there won’t be a stigma against the family. Everyone has rallied around them by praying.”
Residents of Bo-Kaap, a popular tourist destination, on March 18 took the decision not to allow anyone into the area, especially tourists, to combat the spread of the virus.
Premier Alan Winde said yesterday that 13 people were in hospital, three of them in ICU. A total of 50 patients across the city who had tested positive had recovered fully.
“All of them have completed their 14-day period of self-isolation and can now, in accordance with guidelines set out by the NICD (National Institute for Communicable Diseases), leave isolation,” he said.
They were required to obey the lockdown laws.