CAPE TOWN -
We are working closely with the Eastern Cape government to ensure that this surge is contained and managed, said President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The president said there had been a sustained upward increase in hospital admissions of Covid-19 in the province.
“With many people moving between the Eastern Cape and other provinces – particularly the Western Cape – it is a matter of time before this surge spreads to other parts of the country,”
“We therefore need to take measures to contain the rise in infections. In response to the rising infections, we are implementing the resurgence plan that has been developed together with the surge team deployed to South Africa by the World Health Organisation,” said Ramaphosa.
Lejweleputswa and Mangaung in the Free State, Frances Baard and Pixley ka Seme in the Northern Cape, and the Garden Route and Cape Town metro in the Western Cape are some of the areas that are experiencing higher than average rates of new infections.
Evidence suggests that the increases in the Eastern Cape could have been triggered by outbreaks in institutions of higher learning such as universities, schools and attendance by people at large gatherings.
“When this is combined with poor adherence to social distancing, mask wearing and other poor hygiene measures, the environment for rising infections is set,”
“What we are witnessing in Eastern Cape should be a wake-up call to all of us, that we cannot relax and we cannot be complacent,” said the President.
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