First Covid-19 death for Enoch Mgijima area, while cases rise

Increase attributed to funerals, influx of seasonal workers, people breaking lockdown regulations

he Enoch Mgijima area has recorded its first Covid-19 death as the infection rate continues to rise, with the latest number of coronavirus cases at 93 on Monday this week.

This was announced at the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality (EMLM) joint operations committee (Joc), headed by mayor Luleka Gubhula on Monday.

TGubhula said the authority, working with its stakeholders, including the health department, had tried its best to flatten the curve, but people s ’ behaviour and the breaking of lockdown regulations was evidenced by the soar in numbers.

We are saddened to learn

“about the first Covid-19-related death and are concerned about the growing numbers in our area.

Funerals remain the major “ contributor to hiking infection numbers, as most of the new cases stem from a Whittlesea bereavement [funeral].”

The mayor also said seasonal workers who had travelled from the Western Cape also contributed to the increase. We do not know whether

“the people under investigation [PUI] and those currently awaiting their results will take our numbers to greater heights. However, the health

“department continues to conduct screening and testing where it is most necessary.

Our latest efforts to try to

“minimise the spread of the virus includes availing community halls for Sassa payments in the whole of the Enoch Mgijima area and not just in Komani. We do not want people to

“travel from their villages to town to get their payments, they can do so in their own areas.

We also resolved that the

“education department avail its vehicles to assist the health department which raised issues of transportation for their screening and testing duties.”

The local public works department assisted by securing 85 beds at Pallotti Farm and a further 100 at Komani Hospital for quarantine purposes.

Gubhula said the Joc was to establish an economic cluster which would oversee businessrelated matters and assist small business ventures like hawkers during the pandemic.

She thanked all individuals and businesses that had assisted people with donations and encouraging them to ensure the poorest of the poor are helped.

As of Monday, 76,536 people had been screened,

1,151 tested and were in contact with 1,358 people,

1,083 were in quarantine, 88 in isolation, 93 cases had been confirmed, and of these, five had recovered.

The Chris Hani district has recorded 246 cases and nine deaths.