Gauteng Won’t Release Confirmed Stats For Areas

Gauteng Health MEC Dr Bandile Masuku has clarified why the province has taken a decision not to release confirmed COVID-19 stats for specific communities in the province.

The province has launched testing and screening sites across Gauteng targeting mostly township areas.

On Friday, Masuku and Premier David Makhura visited one of the sites in Diepsloot after a nurse tested positive for coronavirus. Diesploot has a population of about 300,000 people and due to the high density of people living in the area, social distancing is hard to observe.

Health officials have so far screened more than 12,000 people and tested just over 1,000 since April.

Government is shying away from releasing some Covid-19 modelling and projections data to avoid panic in communities and possible stigma, saying the projections were fluid and not “Gospel truth”, according to a Sunday Times report.

A nurse who tested positive for the virus was in isolation and recovering well. Her co-workers had since tested negative.

Meanwhile, Makhura said he was impressed with the conduct of many residents, saying they were now beginning to be aware of the dangers of COVID-19.

EWN