Phumzile Van Damme urges people to wear masks properly

DA MP Phumzile Van Damme has urged South Africans to continue wearing masks as the threat of contracting the coronavirus still remains.

On Sunday, she shared that she has had to learn to deal with people who refuse to wear masks and maintain social distancing by telling them to “back up.”

“So, I'm at a shop in a queue. A woman, mask worn around her neck like some sort of pandemic fashion accessory, luckily two or so metres away from me, releases the loudest mouth-open cough-sneeze. Mouth open wide, no tissue in her hand, or elbow.

“I gave her a glare that made her husband lift his mask and slowly back away from her like he didn't know her,” reads an excerpt of her tweet about one of her encounters.

She said people must abide by the regulations and wear masks to protect themselves and those around them. Her message did not sit well with Twitter user Shaka, who said masks are “suffocating”. 

In response, Van Damme said: “Wait until you get Covid-19 and you're attached to a ventilator to help you breathe. Put the mask over your nose. It won't kill you but Covid might. Please guys wake up.”

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SA had 715,868 confirmed Covid-19 cases, 18,968 deaths and 1,622 new cases on Sunday, according to health minister Zweli Mkhize.

The minister urged South Africans to “add your phone to the fight” by downloading the Covid-19 Alert SA app to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.