COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES | Covid-19 in SA jumps 3,267 cases in 24 hours

June 4 2020 - 21:22

Covid-19 claims 848 lives in SA as infections reach 40,792

Health minister Zweli Mkhize said the number of Covid-19 cases had increased to 40,792 on Thursday - an increase of 3,267 cases in 24 hours.

"Regrettably, we report 56 more Covid-19 related deaths," he said.

June 4 2020 - 19:22

Eastern Cape premier tests negative for Covid-19, warns of booze crackdown

Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane has tested negative for Covid-19.

Mabuyane has been in quarantine for the past week after fears that he may have contracted the virus from one of his staff members, special adviser Zandisile Qupe, who had tested positive.

June 4 2020 - 18:21

'Must I pay for bread, water or rent?': Stark choices for women in lockdown

Women have been exposed to violence, emotional distress and having to juggle several responsibilities at once to care for their families under the national lockdown.

“It seems that a woman's work is never done” said session chair Alex Hotz in her opening statement during a webinar on Thursday on SA’s Covid-19 lockdown and how it has increased the violence, insecurity and exploitation faced by the working class.

June 4 2020 - 17:39

Lawsuit says Amazon failed to protect warehouse staff from coronavirus

Three Amazon warehouse employees announced a lawsuit on Thursday claiming the US retail and tech giant failed to protect its workers from coronavirus infections at a New York facility.

The complaint filed on Wednesday in federal court said the "relentless pace of work at Amazon facilities" led to hazardous conditions and that company policies "discourage workers from leaving their workstations to wash their hands and from taking the time to wipe down their workstations."

The lawsuit comes after protests outside the facility in Staten Island where one Amazon worker was fired. The employee said his dismissal was the result of speaking out, while Amazon maintained it was for his failure to quarantine.

One of the three workers in the lawsuit claimed to have been infected with coronavirus "from workers who were explicitly or implicitly encouraged to continue attending work and prevented from adequately washing their hands or sanitizing their workstations," according to the lawsuit.

June 4 2020 - 17:30

Smoking ban a sign of a 'responsible government', says Dlamini-Zuma

The overarching rationale for prohibiting the sale of tobacco products was to protect human life and health, and to reduce the potential strain on the health-care system.

This is the submission made by Co-operative Governance & Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in the application by Fair-Trade Independent Tobacco Association (Fita), which wants the court to set aside the regulation prohibiting the sale of tobacco products during lockdown.

Dlamini-Zuma, in an answering affidavit filed to the high court in Pretoria dated June 3, said Fita has not made out its case, and wanted the application dismissed with costs.

June 4 2020 - 16:46

WATCH | Could water purification tablets help Joburg taxis fight off Covid-19?

June 4 2020 - 16:33

Another Pick n Pay in Durban closes after worker tests positive for Covid-19

Another Pick n Pay store in Durban was forced to close temporarily after a worker tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday.

Pick n Pay said that the store at the Pavilion shopping centre in Westville would reopen on Friday.

Last week the Pick n Pay store at Musgrave Centre was closed after a manager tested positive for the virus. The store has since reopened.

June 4 2020 - 16:14

Government to appeal court's ruling on lockdown regulations

Government will launch an urgent appeal against a ruling by the North Gauteng High Court on Tuesday that effectively found the lockdown regulations to be “unconstitutional and invalid”.

Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu confirmed the appeal during a media briefing on the outcome of a cabinet meeting held on Thursday.

Mthembu also said that cabinet had resolved to extend the National State of Disaster by another month, until July 15.

June 4 2020 - 15:43

Nasal oxygen treatment instead of ventilators sees Covid-19 recoveries at hospital in Cape Town

The Western Cape has shifted to using high-flow nasal oxygen treatment on Covid-19 patients after the first six patients placed on ventilators died at Tygerberg hospital in Cape Town.

Head of the provincial department of health Dr Keith Cloete explained the shift in strategy during a virtual press briefing on Thursday.

Ventilators were used as one of the main treatments for critical care Covid-19 patients during the initial phases of the global pandemic, but the experience from Tygerberg hospital prompted a rethink.

June 4 2020 - 15:29

Anglican churches not ready to open - Archbishop Thabo Makgoba

Anglican churches are not yet ready to resume worship in church buildings, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of Cape Town said in a letter to church members on Thursday.

He said the church's Covid-19 advisory team - comprising  medical, legal and theological experts - had reached “a consensus that it is not yet time to resume worship”.

“No diocese so far has pronounced that it is ready to resume worship; most reports suggest that it will take a month or two – or longer – to gather the data needed before a decision can be made,” he wrote.

June 4 2020 - 15:26

June 4 2020 - 14:41

Many fail to pay bills, want food parcels and worry about education: poll

Both low and high income communities feel the government needs to provide more food relief to the poor, but they do not share similar concerns about paying bills or schools reopening during the extended lockdown.

This is according to an online multilingual Covid-19 Democracy Survey by the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) conducted in April and May.

Prof Kate Alexander, director at the Centre for Social Change at UJ, said many people stated they were struggling to pay bills and keep afloat during the pandemic, something privileged people handled better.

June 4 2020 - 14:28

WATCH | Mmusi Maimane to donate laptops & food parcels on his 40th birthday

Mmusi Maimane turns 40 on June 6 and plans to help those hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said he would donate 40 food parcels and 40 laptops to grade 11 and 12 pupils and first-year university students who are unable to continue their studies during the lockdown.

June 4 2020 - 13:49

Robot dog hounds Thai shoppers to keep hands virus-free

A scurrying robot dog named K9 dispenses hand sanitizer to curious children and wary shoppers -- one of the more unexpected measures Thai malls are taking as the kingdom relaxes virus restrictions.

The hi-tech hound is controlled using 5G, a technology promising super-fast internet speeds with immediate reaction times that is still in the initial stages of roll out in Thailand.

Mimicking an excited puppy, K9 roams around the popular Central World mall in downtown Bangkok, drawing the attention of delighted children eager to get gel from a bottle attached to its back.

June 4 2020 - 12:48

HIV-positive patients who take ARVs 'not at greater risk of contracting Covid-19'

South Africans who are HIV-positive and take antiretrovirals are not at greater risk of contracting Covid-19, a local expert said on Thursday.

The revelation comes after experts around the world expressed concern about the  effect of the pandemic on SA, which has the most people afflicted with HIV of any country.

However, clinician Dr Kairoonisha Mahomed, who runs an HIV clinic in Johannesburg, says that HIV-positive individuals who remain on treatment and whose viral loads are at undetectable levels are likely to be at no greater risk of contracting Covid-19.

June 4 2020 - 12:39

Academic warns of groundwater pollution from cemeteries when Covid-19 deaths surge

University of Pretoria (UP) academic Prof Matthys Dippenaar has appealed to municipalities to monitor groundwater close to cemeteries as tens of thousands of Covid-19-related deaths are forecast in SA over the next few months.

“As the Covid-19 pandemic continues its scourge across the world, South African municipalities have been asked to prepare for the possibility of increased fatalities which might exceed current burial and crematoria facilities,” said Dippenaar, an associate professor in hydrogeology and engineering geology at UP’s faculty of natural and agricultural sciences.

"Apart from ensuring there are enough facilities, an equally important consideration is to ensure that death and burials occur safely, given the highly infectious nature of the SARS-CoV-2 virus."

June 4 2020 - 12:06

Ramaphosa to visit Western Cape to assess Covid-19 response

President Cyril Ramaphosa was scheduled to visit Cape Town on Friday to "assess the Western Cape’s provincial response to the Covid-19 pandemic".

Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize, in releasing the latest Covid-19 statistics on Wednesday, said that the Western Cape accounted for 24,657 of the total 37,525 cases across SA as well as 597 of the 792 recorded deaths.

"President Ramaphosa will commence his visit by receiving a presentation on the Western Cape Province’s Covid-19 response strategy.  He will later officiate the official opening of the Hospital of Hope and be conducted on a walk about. The visit will culminate in a visit to the Red Dot Health Staff Transport Operations," the presidency said in a statement on Thursady.

Westen Cape premier Alan Winde will accompany Ramaphosa.

June 4 2020 - 11:14

Frustrated R350 relief grant applicants disappointed with Sassa's slow services

Frustrated South Africans have once again expressed disappointment with the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) after still not having received their R350 Covid-19 relief grant payments for May.

The R350 grant is meant for unemployed citizens and qualifying foreign citizens during the lockdown. It was announced in April by President Cyril Ramaphosa and qualifying applicants were told that they would be paid by the end of the month.

However, not all payments were made.

"Payments were made from May 15, meaning not all payments will go through today but certainly this month."

June 4 2020 - 11:13

South Africans willingly sacrificing human rights to Covid lockdown: poll

A vast majority of South Africans approve of President Cyril Ramaphosa's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, despite growing hunger, loss of human rights and anxiety.

This is according to an online multilingual Covid-19 Democracy Survey by the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) conducted in April and May.

Ramaphosa's performance was rated as either very good or good by 84% of South Africans for the period April 13-May 11. His score was highest between April 27-May 11, coming in at 89%.

June 4 2020 - 11:11

David Mabuza to visit Mangaung on Friday as part of government's ongoing effort to flatten the curve: Presidency

June 4 2020 - 10:24

Linen shortages due to go-slow at Livingstone and Provincial hospitals hits admissions

A dispute between unions and management at Livingstone and Provincial hospitals in Port Elizabeth has now trickled down to affect patients, with some turned away over the past few days.

A doctor at the Provincial Hospital, who asked not to be named, told HeraldLIVE that staff had stopped washing linen and, without bedding, patients could not be admitted.

Union members, however, said it was not a case of members refusing to wash linen but rather staff shortages that were causing problems.

June 4 2020 - 10:09

'We also have a right to benefit': School PPE trucks blocked by communities

Trucks transporting personal protective equipment to schools in some parts of the Eastern Cape have been blocked from making deliveries by disgruntled local companies, who believe they are being sidelined in favour of businesses from outside the province.

The department of education is under pressure to deliver masks, sanitiser and other personal protective equipment (PPE) in preparation for the return of thousands of grade 7 and 12 pupils and teachers to classrooms next week. Pupils were initially expected to return on Monday, but are now due back on June 8.

June 4 2020 - 09:44

Cecilia Makiwane hospital closes three units after staffers contract Covid-19

Three critical medical units this week were closed at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital in Mdantsane after some staffers tested positive for Covid-19.

The hospital's intensive care unit (ICU), orthopaedic outpatient department (OOPD) and dental output patient department (DOPD) are empty of patients and health workers.

Health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo confirmed it to DispatchLIVE, adding “the closure of any unit means a disruption in services”.   

Kupelo said 79 nurses and general staff members had been tested at the ICU, OOPD, DOPD and surgical outpatient department.

June 4 2020 - 08:40

Mmusi Maimane launches 'safe schools' hotline to 'ensure safety' of pupils & teachers come June 8

Mmusi Maimane, the leader of the One SA (OSA) movement, on Wednesday launched a hotline where concerned parents and pupils can report “preparedness gaps” in schools as they prepare to reopen on Monday, June 8.

This is to ensure that no school reopens without following the necessary safety measures, and that the constitutional rights of all pupils are observed, says Maimane.

“This is not a question of whether some schools are ready and others are not, it's about the constitutionality of the fact that every child is guaranteed an education, every child has a right to life and that ultimately, the rights of the child are paramount.”

June 4 2020 - 08:39

Fikile Mbalula gives FlySafair's R750 'block a seat' option thumbs-up

Transport minister Fikile Mbalula sees no problem with FlySafairs' R750 “block a seat” option.

He addressed the media on the readiness of domestic flights at OR Tambo Airport on Wednesday and said there was nothing wrong with the airline introducing the option.

“We cannot be opposed to it,” said Mbalula. “I'm not a spokesperson for FlySafair ... it is a marketing tool. They don't need our permission for that.”

June 4 2020 - 07:50

Don't forget: No booze sales from Thursday evening until Monday

South Africans are reminded that they will not be able to buy alcoholic beverages between 5pm on Thursday until Monday morning.

National police spokesperson Brig Vish Naidoo said anyone found buying or selling alcohol between those designated times would face the might of the law.

“From 5pm on Thursday until Monday morning, people are not allowed to carry liquor. We want to prevent people from getting intoxicated and getting together. We would be opening an avenue for them to start parties, which will cause a further spread of the disease,” he said.

June 4 2020 - 07:37

No more Covid-19 tests for ‘healthy’ Capetonians

If you are younger than 55, don’t have a chronic illness and live in Cape Town, then you’re not going to be tested for Covid-19 – even if you develop symptoms.

A lack of testing kits has forced the move, says their premier.

June 4 2020 - 7:15

Teachers rapped for ‘fancy masks' - but principals are wrong

KwaZulu-Natal teachers should not be sent to the principal’s office for wearing “fancy” masks.

The provincial education department explained on Wednesday that there was no directive on the fabric, print or design of masks to be worn in the classroom.

While the department had not received any formal complaints, several teachers told TimesLIVE they were instructed by principals to leave their “fancy” masks at home.

June 4 2020 - 7:10

POLL | If lockdown was scrapped, would you feel safe going out?

As South Africans await the government's response on some lockdown regulations which were declared by the North Gauteng High Court as “unconstitutional” and “invalid” on Tuesday, it isn't clear what life will be like 14 days from now.

The matter was heard in court on May 28 after it was brought urgently by Liberty Fighters Network, according to TimesLIVE. 

June 4 2020 - 7:00

On your bike! How a bicycle can ease Covid-19 spread and make money

Could cycling be a tool in the fight against the coronavirus?

Euronews reported that Europeans were turning to bicycles in an effort to avoid crowded public transport during the coronavirus pandemic as lockdown restrictions are lifted.

This question could be further pondered as World Bicycle Day was celebrated on Wednesday - placing a spotlight on cycling as the best mode of transport during a global pandemic.