52 quarantine sites identified across SA

PUBLIC Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille said her department was ramping up efforts to release 52 sites to be used for quarantine across the country.

De Lille said this week that the decision will lie with the Department of Health on the facilities given the green light to be used.

She said they had identified the 52 properties in 44 districts and eight metros – the private sector offered sites including hotels, hospitals and holiday properties to be used for quarantine.

The government was busy assessing the sites offered by the private sector, said De Lille.

“So far there is a total of 16 373 beds that have been identified across the country that potentially can be utilised for quarantine facilities. These are a combination of government and private sector facilities.

“The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure is working with the Department of Health, who ultimately has to sign off on whether the facility complies with the quarantine requirements,” she said.

Some of the 16 373 beds were in hospitals. De Lille said their teams were working around the clock to ensure the beds were available for quarantine. They were also continuing with plans to put a fence on the Beit Bridge border with Zimbabwe.

The 40km fence, which will be erected on the east and west side of the border would restrict the movement of people.

It would be completed by the end of next month. De Lille said they would be deploying thousands of Expanded Public Works Programme workers in informal settlements to work on the coronavirus.