Update on the coronavirus by Premier Alan Winde – Premier Winde visits Witzenberg as part of “Whole of Government” Hotspot Response Strategy

12 May 2020

As of 1pm on 12 May, the Western Cape has 4134 active cases of Covid-19, with a total of 6194 confirmed cases and 1950 recoveries.

 Sub Districts Cape Town Metro:

Sub Districts Non-Metro:

Unallocated: 118

The Western Cape has recorded an additional four COVID-19 deaths-bringing the total number of deaths from the virus in the province to 110. We extend our condolences to their family and friends at this time.

Witzenberg:

Today, I had the opportunity to visit the Witzenberg region to see how our Whole of Government hotspot response is being implemented in the region. This plan was adopted by the Western Cape Cabinet on 29 April.

The Western Cape Government has adopted an evidence based, data-led approach to understand the transmission of the virus in particular geographical areas. In Witzenberg, this entails the Departments of Health, Agriculture, Transport and Public Works and Economic Development and Tourism.

As part of our health response, we have recently completed a temporary testing and triage centre at the Ceres Hospital. This is one of 18 such facilities across the province, which helps to relieve the pressure on hospitals’ emergency services, while also allowing space for residents to be triaged and tested separately from the other hospital services.

The ability to test and immediately isolate positive cases is key in helping to flatten the curve and prevent new infections. The testing and triage centre bolsters the testing response in the region.

In the economic space, we have drawn up protocols for businesses and specific industries, including retail and agriculture, which are aimed at reducing the risk of infection in the workplace. Today, Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, David Maynier spent some time in the area, seeing how retailers are employing safety measures to keep their staff and customers safe.

I also had the opportunity to visit Dutoit Agri, and the Kalos farm with Agriculture Minister, Ivan Meyer. At the Kalos Farm, the owners have built their own isolation facility to prepare, should any of their staff become infected. I was pleased to hear that other farmers in the region are also taking similar steps.

This plan has formed the blueprint for our other targeted interventions in hotspots in the City of Cape Town to focus efforts from across the government sphere to actively target the areas with the highest infection rates in the province.

Residents have an important role to play in the plan by staying at home in line with the regulations, washing their hands regularly, and ensuring that when they do go out, they keep physical distance between themselves and others and by wearing a clean, cloth mask.

International Nurses Day:

Today we observe International Nurses Day, which marks the enormous contribution that nurses make in our healthcare system and in our province. Today, I had the opportunity to thank the nurses at the Ceres Hospital for their hard work.

This year, as our nurses face tremendous pressure and great personal risk on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response, we pay tribute to them for their care and their commitment. We thank all of those women and men who have dedicated their lives to helping those who are sick. This year has been declared the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife and we pay tribute to those healthcare workers who have brought joy as they delivered new lives into the world and comfort to those who pass on.

Today we pay special tribute to the two nurses we lost to COVID-19, Petronella Benjamin and NtombizakithiNgidi. We thank them for their dedication and their service and we send our heartfelt condolences to their families and friends.

The Western Cape Government is committed to keeping our frontline workers safe during this pandemic. This includes ensuring adequate stocks of PPE and we have also ensured that healthcare workers are prioritized for this year’s flu vaccine, in order to ensure that their immune systems are not compromised by the flu at this time.

Issued by Office of the Western Cape Premier 13 May 2020