COVID-19 WRAP | Covid-19 isolation period reduced to 10 days

July 17 2020 - 22:03

Health ministry hails success of Covid-19 track and trace system

The health ministry on Friday hailed the success of its electronic track and tracing system for Covid-19 patients and their contacts via cellphones.

“We are pleased to announce that since the system went live in June it has yielded some positive results. Between June 28 and July 15, it has dispatched 674,380 SMSs to users nationwide and relayed 326,522 test results.”

Almost 40,000 users have engaged with the service, said health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize.

July 17 2020 - 21:06

SA records 13,373 new Covid-19 infections in 24 hours

There have been 135 Covid-19 related deaths over the past 24 hours in SA.

The cumulative number of infections as of Thursday evening was 337,594, which saw the country retain its status as the sixth worst-hit nation in terms of caseload on Worldometer, ahead of Mexico, Chile, Spain, the UK and Iran.

The number of infections tracked in SA over the past 24 hours was 13,373.

July 17 2020 - 19:55

Covid-19 isolation period reduced to 10 days

Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize announced during a virtual briefing on Friday evening that the isolation period for people with Covid-19 has been reduced from 14 days to 10 days.

This would be on condition that the patient did not have a fever and their symptoms had begun to improve.

The guidelines apply to healthcare workers as well and are being implemented with immediate effect, he added.

July 17 2020 - 19:43

'It’s as if your loved one is a leper': Ndileka Mandela on Covid-19 burials

After losing her aunt, Zindziswa Mandela, Ndileka Mandela has painted a painful picture of how people who die with Covid-19 are buried.

Ndileka took to her Facebook page as her aunt's funeral was under way on Friday and described hosting a burial for someone who had died with the virus as “brutal”.

“Your loved one is wrapped in a plastic inside the casket, they can't be dressed in clothes you'd have wanted them to. The clothes are laid on top of their plastic encased mortal remains,” she said.

July 17 2020 - 18:34

One in 50 test positive for Covid-19 in Cape Flats' worst-hit district

One in 50 people in part of the Cape Flats have now tested positive for Covid-19.

Western Cape government infection statistics on Friday showed that the Klipfontein health subdistrict, which includes the densely populated communities of Nyanga, Gugulethu and Delft, had 7,624 confirmed cases.

This means the subdistrict, with a population of about 380,000, has recorded more infections than four provinces — the Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape.

July 17 2020 - 18:28

Court finds government failed to feed children

Basic education minister Angie Motshekga and all the provincial education MECs, except the Western Cape, have been found to be in breach of the constitution for not re-implementing the school’s feeding scheme last month.

North Gauteng High Court judge Sulet Potterill has now ruled that they must immediately roll out the National Schools Nutrition Programme (NSNP) to all nine million qualifying pupils.

Read the judgment

July 17 2020 - 18:01

Employment and labour minister Thulas Nxesi contracts Covid-19

Employment and labour minister Thulas Nxesi tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday.

A statement from the presidency said Nxesi had undergone his fourth Covid-19 test since the start of the coronavirus pandemic but this was the first to return a positive result.

“Minister Nxesi is in self-isolation and will continue to work from home. All members of the office of the minister, who have come in contact with him will also undergo testing. The minister remains in high spirits and confident that he will beat the virus,” the statement read.

July 17 2020 - 16:28

Solidarity Fund earmarks R1.9bn for Covid-19 response

The Solidarity Fund, created to help support SA’s health and welfare response to the Covid-19 pandemic, has earmarked R1.9bn for the country’s health interventions as the number of infections surge.

CEO Nomkhita Nqweni said on Friday the fund is moving to the second phase of its intervention, which is largely focused on health work and the health response, reports BusinessLIVE.

To date the fund has received R3.02bn in pledges, with almost the full amount converted and deposited into its bank account. Nqweni said almost 300,000 individuals have donated to the fund. The R1.9bn for the health response comes out of the total R3.02bn.

July 17 2020 - 16:15

Concern raised over 'absent 30% of matric pupils' in Gauteng

About 30% of registered matriculants have not returned to schools as planned in Gauteng during the lockdown, raising concerns for the provincial education department.

Provincial education MEC Panyaza Lesufi confirmed this at a briefing on schooling in the province, which is now the epicentre of the coronavirus.

“It is still worrying that we can’t account for almost 30% of grade 12 learners who are not attending school in Gauteng. It is something we are working very hard to rectify because it has implications in terms of the skills base of the province but, most importantly, in terms of transition to higher education,” he said.

July 17 2020 - 14:16

6,791 inmates granted parole under lockdown dispensation

More than a third of the 19,000 inmates earmarked for release have been granted parole since May after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced their release as a measure to combat the spread of Covid-19 in prisons.

However, the department had not met the deadline it set itself, July 17, for releasing all 19,000 prisoners eligible for parole.

“This has been quite an involved process. We must follow the process to the letter so we do not have issues of reoffending,” correctional services department spokesperson Logan Maistry said on Friday.

July 17 2020 - 14:11

'I fear going to bed hungry' - Covid-19 lockdown crunch hits millions

After not being paid for two months following the lockdown when his company was forced to temporarily stop operating, Mzukisi Tinto thought he had it hard.

However, the father of two, who is the breadwinner for his family of five, is now facing what he fears the most: losing his job. This may make his family vulnerable to hunger.

The East London engineering company where he is employed recently announced it may soon retrench staff following huge financial losses during the lockdown. He said his company had not received UIF-TERS benefits. The economy was partially reopened under level three restrictions, but business is tough to come by.

July 17 2020 - 13:25

KZN education department postpones return to school for additional grades

The KwaZulu-Natal education department issued a circular on Friday advising schools that no further grades should be phased in this month.

The circular, issued by department head Enock Nzama, states that education minister Angie Motshekga gazetted the return of a number of grades from July 20.

"However, the province of KwaZulu-Natal had previously issued KZN Circular No 58 of 2020 stating that only grade 6 and grade 11 were allowed to open on July 6 2020. All other grades were advised to continue studying from home until further notice," the document stated.

July 17 2020 - 13:22

Education experts divided on closing schools

Some education experts have joined the growing calls for the government to shut schools until after SA's expected Covid-19 infection peaks have passed.

Others have warned that with the different peaks expected in coming months, a “one-size-fits-all” strategy when it comes to keeping schools open may not work.

Education minister Angie Motshekga has been conducting a series of consultations with school governing bodies, principals, teachers unions and civil society regarding concerns about keeping schools open amid rising infections.

July 17 2020 - 12:50

COVID-19 SURVIVORS | Mom suffered from depression and dad is paralysed - but they beat the virus

Lucinda Bredell says her battle with depression helped her beat Covid-19. Her struggle with the virus inadvertently began when her teenage son went on a Youth Day hiking trip, not knowing that one of his friends had Covid-19.

Xander, 19, said he thought it would be fine because none of his friends showed any symptoms. 

​“I didn’t think any of my friends had it because they didn’t seem sick. When I found out I was positive, I wasn’t really scared because I knew if you are young you’ll be fine,” Xander said.

July 17 2020 - 11:30

More than 4,000 Covid-19 cases in correctional centres, head office

Covid-19 cases recorded in the department of correctional services reached 4,041 on Thursday when 134 new cases were announced.

However, the department recorded 122 recoveries, bringing the total number of recoveries to 2,583. Deaths from Covid-19 remained unchanged at 49.

The 4,041 cases comprised 2,441 officials and 1,600 inmates.

July 17 2020 - 11:24

Man hangs himself 'after positive Covid-19 test'

A 58-year-old man allegedly committed suicide a few days after he received results showing that he had Covid-19.

The man reportedly went to a local doctor after developing symptoms. He received his results on Sunday and had since been in self-isolation at his village in Bolobedu outside Tzaneen in Limpopo.

Provincial police spokesperson Brig Motlafela Mojapelo said the man was found hanging from the roof in his bedroom with wire around his neck.

July 17 2020 - 11:04

'This is distasteful' - Fikile Mbalula slammed for 'tone-deaf' Covid-19 'joke'

Fikile Mbalula is getting backlash on social media for what was perceived as an insensitive  Covid-19 “joke”. The transport minister gave an update on amended Covid-19 regulations during the economic cluster briefing on Thursday.

Seemingly taking a jab at his critics, Mbalula warned that the virus is no longer a “theory”.

He continued: “It hits at home, takes your wife while you’re busy talking in the streets, ‘Mbalula minister of transport, yada-yada,’ Nozuko dies at home.”

July 17 2020 - 10:13

LISTEN | Parties, booze and living carefree under lockdown: teacher on his dangerous Covid-19 gamble

A teacher has spoken candidly about the consequences of socialising with friends, going to parties and disregarding the lockdown regulations - believing he would never become a Covid-19 statistic in Gauteng.

“We never thought it would hit close to home. We spoke of it as something foreign to us,” said Lunga*.

He was wrong.

July 17 2020 - 07:42

MPs lash out at Eastern Cape Covid-19 strategy, corruption

The Eastern Cape government had a tough time convincing MPs that it had things under control in its response to Covid-19 in the province.

The province's leadership also fielded hard questions about a slew of allegations of corruption ranging from the use of a guest house owned by a politician's daughter as an isolation facility, to unexplained payments by the OR Tambo district municipality, improper procurement of sanitisers and the infamous “scooter project”.

July 17 2020 - 07:00

Principals livid at jail threat for mask mistakes

Principals who fail to ensure authorities supplyenough masks for pupils could be jailed.

They will also be in hot water if they don’t provide masks to pupils who arrive without them - and they are enraged.

July 17 2020 - 07:00

Covid-19 got you working from home? Claiming from the taxman is not that simple

Due to the national lockdown since March, many employees, if they had been able to work at all, have been working from home.  

This has raised questions about what employees working remotely can claim from the South African Revenue Service (Sars).

Most industries were allowed to return to their workplaces from June 1. But some employees continue to work from home, fearing they could contract Covid-19 in the office, have underlying health issues putting them at additional risk or due to companies downsizing their operations as the economy takes a battering from the pandemic.

July 17 2020 - 07:00

WATCH | All you need to know about SA's revised level 3 lockdown rules

July 17 2020 - 06:56

How SA went from WHO praise to global negative press as Covid-19 cases surge

As Covid-19 infections spike, the country's health system continues to be overburdened and ICU and trauma units are filled to capacity.

The pandemic has not only added pressure, it has also exposed cracks in the health system that even the global community is beginning to take note of.

July 17 2020 - 06:00

Virus-hit E Cape school supplied with substandard sanitiser

​Tests on sanitisers used by an Eastern Cape school indicate its alcohol content was 57.6% – far below the 70% minimum.

This comes after Makaula Senior Secondary ​was forced to shut owing to 204 infections.