Eldorado Park clinic closed after nurse tests positive for Covid-19

A clinic in Eldorado Park Extension 2 in Soweto closed its doors on Thursday after a staff member tested positive for Covid-19.

This is according to the Johannesburg health department, which said the facility had been closed and all staff had been told to self-isolate.

“All possible patients who came into contact with the nurse will be traced and tested,” said spokesperson Rich Hlatshwayo.

He said the facility would be opened only after safety measures had been put in place.

“The city would like to assure the public that all measures will be taken to safeguard the health of staff and that of our patients. The facility will be sanitised and all other safety measures implemented before it is opened. The city calls on the community to continue practising washing of hands, social distancing and wearing of masks in order to flatten the Covid-19 infection curve,” added Hlatshwayo.

The closure of the clinic comes after Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, also in Soweto, had to be cleared and disinfected after a Covid-19 case on Tuesday.

“Due to the pandemic other wards within the unit had to be dedicated to admit pregnant women who are under investigation for Covid-19 while others are dedicated for confirmed Covid-19 patients. This has reduced the capacity of the general unit beds leading to delays in the allocation of beds for those patients who are admitted electively,” said Kwara Kekana, spokesperson for the department of health.

She added that protocols remained in place. “On the night the positive case was confirmed, there were 41 babies delivered, 19 were through C-sections and 22 were normal vertex deliveries. The obstetrics protocols remain in place.”