GEORGE NEWS - Environmental health practitioners of the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) will start conducting home visits to people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in an effort to reduce the infection rate, while planning for mass fatalities have begun.
The practitioners' task is to ensure that positive cases adhere to the rules of self-isolation, said Garden Route Mayor Memory Booysen in his weekly update.
Many businesses and schools in the district have been disrupted by new cases in the past week.
On Tuesday 16 June at 13:00, a total of 409 people have tested positive in the Garden Route and Klein Karoo. Three people died in George in the past week, bringing the total number of Covid deaths in the district to 10 - six in George, two in Knysna, one in Mossel Bay and one in Stilbaai.
Mass fatality planning
Zee Briggles, district director of health, said on Monday planning for the appropriate and dignified management of mass fatalities has started. He said the Health Department is very reliant on how everyone, the private sector included, comes together to ensure that the district functions optimally with regard to this.
He stressed the importance of following up on and supporting cases who are in isolation or quarantine. One of the challenges is to get the positive cases to quarantine sites in a way does not cause anxiety. "We need to maximise our occupational health staff to ensure that tracking and tracing does happen and isolating is adhered to."
They are seeing fewer people referred for testing from screening, but more cases are being picked up because of increased visits to healthcare centres. The number of businesses with positive cases is increasing and the health team is focusing on helping those to stop the spread in the workplace. "Often all the necessary precautions are not in place."
Masks donated
Mayor Booysen thanked the public for donating 459 cloth face masks that will be distributed to community members who cannot afford to buy their own. The donors are Lee Neto, Gerty Bezuidenhoudt, Jenny Streiger, Lorrain Gerberg, Khutala Maki Gewegwe, Penny Tyson, Elize Loots, Bev Pollocks, Lisa Murray and Rohan Compion.
Joseph's Storehouse
At the weekend, Booysen visited the Shofar Christian Church in George where the Love George non-profit organisation has launched a project in collaboration with local churches, called Joseph's Storehouse, that has played a pivotal role in feeding the most vulnerable communities in the region.
Here the mayor also met members of the George Junior City Council that sourced various donations for the needy.
SUMMARY OF CASES ON 17 JUNE
Total confirmed cases ..............45 767
Total recoveries ........................31 824
Total deaths ................................1 205
Total number of tests ..............253 455
Garden Route................................441 (242 recoveries)
George (102 recoveries)................201
Bitou (16 recoveries)........................22
Knysna (64 recoveries)....................95
Mossel Bay (34 recoveries).............76
Hessequa (14 recoveries)................18
Oudtshoorn (12 recoveries).............29
Kannaland (2 recoveries)................... 3
Sub-districts Cape Town Metro:
Total cases ..............................36 647
Recoveries ..............................26 471
Sub-districts non-metro:
Cape Winelands .........................4 180 (2 413 recoveries)
Overberg ........................................593 (310 recoveries)
West Coast ....................................909 (443 recoveries)
NATIONAL (17 JUNE)
Total confirmed cases .......... 80412
Deaths ........................................1 674
Death rate ................................... 2,1% WESTERN CAPE
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