LISTEN | South Africans express concern about coronavirus repatriation plan
Some South Africans have expressed concern about health minister Zweli Mkhize’s plan to bring back between 147 and 151 South Africans living in Wuhan, China.
In a media briefing held in Johannesburg on Sunday, Mkhize reassured citizens that the government is ready to deal with the outbreak should it come to SA - and that the citizens returning to SA are healthy but will still be quarantined upon arrival.
LISTEN citizens express their concerns about repatriation plan.
The quarantine process will last up to 21 days. Anyone who experiences or develops symptoms of the virus will immediately be isolated.
Mkhize stressed that SA still had no cases of the coronavirus as of Sunday.
Despite this, many South Africans are worried. Some took to Twitter to voice their grievances and fears.
.@DrZweliMkhize If we haven’t tested the people that arrived back from China how do we know there aren’t people walking among us with coronavirus in SA? This could turn into a nightmare too ghastly to contemplate #CoronaVirusSA #Coronavirus
— Gumede (@Gumede66735967) March 1, 2020
Stay woke fam. Wash your hands 5x if you have to, open the windows in the taxi, always cover your sneezes and coughs. Clean every surface you work or cook on with steam or hot water and disinfectant wipes. Get yourself some hand sanitizer. You can never be too safe#CoronaVirusSA pic.twitter.com/r129VRQaAD
— MASONHYT3S (@menzimason) March 1, 2020
Mkhize reassured citizens that there should be nothing to worry about and that the government is doing everything it can to ensure SA continues to stay free of the coronavirus.
A clinical hotline for the public has been up set. Should anyone develop or experience fever or flu-like symptoms, they should seek medical attention or call the following number 0800 029 999.