COVID-19 WRAP | Trump cites teenage son's bout with virus in calling for schools to reopen

October 15 2020 - 21:52

Agrizzi has Covid-19 test after being admitted for 'respiratory issues'

Bosasa COO Angelo Agrizzi has undergone a Covid-19 test at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital ahead of his admission.

TimesLIVE has spoken to Agrizzi's son, Giancarlo, and his lawyer, Daniel Witz, who both confirmed that the Bosasa whistle-blower was treated in hospital. Giancarlo said the family wanted space as Agrizzi received treatment.

The controversial former Bosasa COO has suffered two blows in the past 24 hours, with his admission at Baragwanath hospital in Soweto coming just a day after he was denied bail in the Palm Ridge magistrate's court, after which he spent Wednesday night in prison.

October 15 2020 - 21:22

Tourism operators beg government to rethink rules as tourist season looms

Tourism operators have written an open letter to the government, begging for a meeting to fix travel regulations that they claim are hampering the industry's staggering recovery.

The seven-page letter from the International Association of Hotels and Lodges — addressed to president Cyril Ramaphosa, co-operative governance & traditional affairs minister Nkosasana Dlamini-Zuma and home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi — lists numerous concerns around the regulations on SA's reopening.

These include government's “fluid” list of high-risk countries, the “arbitrary” distinction between business and leisure travellers, and the lack of administrative capacity to process applications from business visitors coming from high-risk places.

October 15 2020 - 21:02

90 cases, three hospitalisations as Covid-19 cases linked to partying Matrics rise

Covid-19 cases linked to the “super-spreader” event at a Cape Town pub are steadily rising, and by Thursday there were almost 90 cases recorded and a trio of hospitalisations.

Western Cape health department spokesperson Mark van der Heever said three people out of the 89 Covid-19 cases in the southern suburbs had been hospitalised, but one had already been discharged on Thursday.

“We are awaiting updates on the other two adults,” he said.

October 15 2020 - 20:12

Italy coronavirus cases surge to new daily record close to 9,000

Italy has registered 8,804 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Thursday, the highest daily tally since the start of the country's outbreak and up steeply from 7,332 on Wednesday.

There were also 83 Covid-19-related deaths on Thursday, jumping from 43 the day before but still far fewer than at the height of the pandemic in Italy in March and April when a daily peak of more than 900 fatalities was reached.

The number of people in intensive care with the virus has risen steadily. It stood at 586 on Thursday, up from 539 the day before and compared with a low of around 40 in the second half of July.

—Reuters

October 15 2020 - 18:53

Refugee women in Africa say domestic violence rose during pandemic

More than 70% of displaced and refugee women in Africa have seen a rise in domestic violence in their communities during the coronavirus pandemic, a survey published on Thursday found.

More than half the 850 women interviewed in 15 African nations also reported a rise in sexual violence and almost one in three had observed a growth in early and forced marriage, said the International Rescue Committee (IRC).

Lockdowns to curb the spread of Covid-19 have fuelled an upsurge in gender-based violence (GBV) across the world, with victims forced to spend more time with their abusers and prevented from seeking safety elsewhere.

—Reuters

October 15 2020 - 16:12

R350 'Covid grant' to be offered for an extra three months: Ramaphosa

The government has decided that the special R350 Covid-19 social grant will be offered for another three months as part of a new economic plan to tackle the effects of the coronavirus on the economy.

President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement in parliament on Thursday, when he presented the “economic reconstruction and recovery plan”.

“We will ... be extending the special Covid-19 grant by a further three months. This will maintain a temporary expansion of social protection and allow the labour market sufficient time to recover,” said Ramaphosa.

October 15 2020 - 16:08

LISTEN | Mental Health Awareness Month amid Covid-19

According to the department of international relations & co-operation, October has been declared Mental Health Awareness Month.

The objective is to educate the public about mental health and reduce the stigma and discrimination which people with mental illnesses are often subjected to.

The South African mental health fact sheet states that about one in three South Africans do or will have a mental health issue at some point in their lifetime. But only one in 10 South Africans have had mental health treatment or care.

October 15 2020 - 16:03

Ramaphosa unveils R100bn fund to create 800,000 public sector jobs

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a R100bn fund to create 800,000 public sector jobs in the next three years.

Ramaphosa made the announcement during a joint sitting of the two houses of parliament on Thursday, where he tabled an “economic reconstruction and recovery plan” in response to the devastating effects of Covid-19 on the country's economy.

Ramaphosa presented the plan after it was adopted at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) following stakeholder consultation.

October 15 2020 - 13:16

'Jerusalema', 'Covid-19' and 'lockdown' shortlisted for SA’s word of the year

The Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), in partnership with media research company Focal Points, will crown SA Word of the Year on Friday.

'Jerusalema', 'lockdown' and 'Covid-19' have been shortlisted.

October 15 2020 - 12:48

London to move to stricter Covid-19 lockdown shortly, mayor says

London's mayor Sadiq Khan said he expects the government will announce later on Thursday that London will shortly move to stricter lockdown restrictions.

"It is my expectation that the governemnt will today announce that London will shortly be moving into tier 2 or the high alert level of restrictions," Khan said. 

October 15 2020 - 11:51

K.O reflects on a hectic 2020 on his birthday: Covid-19 almost took my life in July

In light of his turn around the sun and being granted another year of life, rapper K.O has lifted the lid on how Covid-19 almost took his life in July.  

As a birthday shoutout to himself, Mr Cashtime expressed how grateful he was to be living on “God's green earth” despite having contracted the virus.

K.O opened up about having Covid in a tweet, saying things were clearer now, now that he knows his purpose.  

October 15 2020 - 11:49

SA will push ahead with NHI as country emerges from pandemic: Mkhize

Health minister Zweli Mkhize has promised an aggressive “catch-up” drive to restore community health services and persuade people to seek health care as the country emerges from the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking at a webinar to mark the start of the seventh annual Rotary Family Health Day outreach programme, Mkhize said it was imperative that SA did not squander any gains made during the pandemic.

“We are aware that, due to the combination of lockdown regulations and the fear of contracting Covid-19 in [health] facilities, our people shied away from seeking what may have been deemed to be non-urgent or non-essential health services,” he said.

October 15 2020 - 11:48

Germany wrestles with second virus wave as cases reach record

Warnings mounted in Germany that it was up to the citizens of Europe's biggest economy to do their part to halt the spread of the coronavirus pandemic as daily new infections reached a record on Thursday.

"There can be no question anymore now that this is the start of a very big second wave," German Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff, Helge Braun, told public broadcaster ARD.

"At the start of this second wave it is up to us to stop the infections. The longer we wait and the less decisive we are, the more it will impact not only our health but also our economy," he added.

October 15 2020 - 11:40

'It's December outside' - Mzansi weighs in on SA's national state of disaster extension

Social media was flooded with reaction to government's decision to extend the  national state of disaster by a month, with some questioning the effectiveness of extending the national state of disaster.

The extension was announced on Wednesday by co-operative governance & traditional affairs (Cogta) minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

The state of disaster was expected to end on Thursday but will now end on November 15. It was initially introduced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on March 15, to allow the government to put together regulations that would curb the spread of Covid-19.

October 15 2020 - 07:27

You can soon get a Covid-19 antibody test from Clicks for just R199

Retail pharmacy company Clicks will soon start offering Covid-19 antibody tests at its clinics nationwide.

The tests look for signs of previous Covid-19 infection and developed antibodies to fight the disease.

Speaking to TimesLIVE on Thursday, Clicks chief commercial officer Rachel Wrigglesworth said the clinics will start testing from October 19 and it will cost R199.

October 15 2020 - 07:26

SA will push ahead with NHI as country emerges from pandemic: Mkhize

Health minister Zweli Mkhize has promised an aggressive “catch-up” drive to restore community health services and persuade people to seek health care as the country emerges from the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking at a webinar to mark the start of the seventh annual Rotary Family Health Day outreach programme, Mkhize said it was imperative that SA did not squander any gains made during the pandemic.

October 15 2020 - 06:51

Trump cites teenage son's bout with coronavirus in calling for schools to reopen

Under siege over his handling of the novel coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump on Wednesday cited what he said was his son's mild bout of the virus as a reason why American schools should reopen as soon as possible.

Republican Trump made the comment about his son, Barron, while at a rally at the Des Moines, Iowa, airport on a mission to shore up support in battleground states that he won in 2016 but is in danger of losing to Democratic candidate Joe Biden barely three weeks before the election.