'SA's defeat of Covid-19 depends on mandatory quarantine': Mbuyiseni Ndlozi

EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi has urged government to implement mandatory quarantine to fight the spread of Covid-19, saying without it the coronavirus will not be beaten.

The former EFF spokesperson said the sooner government quarantines those who test positive in 24-hour monitored facilities, the better.

“We can do physical distancing and lockdown [the country] all we want. Without this, the virus will still rise,” he said.

Ndlozi's statement comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that South Africans who were repatriated from Wuhan, China, tested negative for the virus after a 14-day mandatory quarantine at the Ranch Resort in Limpopo.

To date, SA has 1,326 confirmed cases of Covid-19.

“The 114 South Africans who were evacuated from Wuhan are going back to their homes after two weeks in quarantine in Polokwane,” Ramaphosa said on Monday while briefing the nation.

“For months, they have been in lockdown — first in Wuhan for 51 days and then in Polokwane for 14 days. Now they have to spend a further 17 days in lockdown at home.

“We should all be happy they have tested negative for the virus and are in good health. They are in high spirits and are deeply thankful for what the country has done for them by bringing them home safely.”

On Monday, the EFF slammed patients who failed to adhere to the government's regulations when placed under self-quarantine or isolation at home.

“This behaviour puts the majority of South Africans at risk of infection. We therefore reiterate our call to government to make it compulsory for any diagnosed person to be kept at special state facilities to protect other citizens from this dangerous and contagious virus.”