Community’s Covid-19 panic
Phoenix gripped by fear after father and son die days apart
PANIC is mounting as a growing number of families are losing loved ones to the global pandemic, and people in communities are testing positive for Covid-19.
Residents in Palmview, Phoenix, north of Durban, appealed to crime fighters and activists to assist getting authorities to conduct Covid-19 tests after members of the community died from the virus while others tested positive.
Last Sunday, a son died from Covid-19 a few days after his father succumbed. The father was initially thought to have suffered a heart attack. However, results later proved that he had died from the virus.
Rivaaj Ramdas, a member of the Tactical Shooting team, last Sunday received a call from a member of the public in Palmview asking him to put out an appeal on social media for urgent government assistance.
He said: “Senior officials from the department of health made contact and tests were done on Monday.”
In a video on Facebook, Ramdas appealed to the community not to ostracise, criticise and shun members who test positive.
“Everyone will eventually know someone who has Covid-19. It’s not something to be embarrassed about. The public are not aware how evident the virus is in Phoenix. People need to take the necessary precautions and self-quarantine, if they have to. We are all soldiers in a war,” said Ramdas.
Maggie Johnson, Palmview ward councillor, said people were not practising social distancing.
“There have been a number of cases in different parts of Phoenix. People need to realise whether rich or poor, young or old, this disease does not discriminate,” said Johnson.
Dr Sunil Rupnarain, a Phoenixbased general practitioner, said the virus was not isolated to one area of Phoenix.
“In the last week and a half, I had 12 confirmed cases. This is the tip of the iceberg. There are lots of people who have not been tested. Eight members of a family tested positive after attending a close family member’s funeral.
“This pandemic spreads easily. People need to protect themselves by social distancing, wearing a mask and sanitising,” said Rupnarain.
Haniff Hoosen, MP for the Phoenix, Verulam and Tongaat constituency, said people were moving around easily and not taking the virus seriously.
“There are a number of flats in Phoenix, and people are in close proximity. If one person is infected and does not self-isolate, they could pass on the virus,” said Hoosen.
But Phoenix is not the only community to be hit by the deadly virus.
Earlier this week, a number of residents in Overport were in selfisolation after testing positive for Covid-19.
A number of shops and pharmacies in the area, which was reported as a hot spot, were also forced to close after staff tested positive.
Hassan Haniff, Overport ward councillor, said people, especially on Felix Dlamini (Brickfield) and Moses Kotane (Sparks) roads, were not adhering to the lockdown, and do not realise the seriousness of the virus.
“There is a hub of movement in places where there are supermarkets,” he said.
Haniff said there was also a lot of false information being spread on social media of blocks of flats being shut after residents tested positive.
“Some owners of buildings have reacted to say it was not true,” said Haniff.
Dolly Munien, a Tongaat ward councillor, is recovering from the virus after spending the week in hospital.
After Munien tested positive, members of the Belvedere community where she lives, as well as those she had been in contact with, were tested this week.
“I had been busy with hamper distributions, but always took the necessary precautions. I never expected I would be diagnosed and end up in the intensive care unit. This virus takes a strain on the body.
“People should not take this virus lightly. I took all the precautions and still landed in hospital,” said Munien.