KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu on Monday said four patients in the province who had been infected with coronavirus (COVID-19) were now cleared of the virus.
Simelane-Zulu criticised tour operators in the St. Lucia Lake area who had continued to host international tourists despite a ban on all non-essential travel and calls for social distancing.
She said two German nationals who had recently participated in the tours had tested positive for COVID-19.
She said this had endangered the lives of residents in the KZN north coast community.
“The unfortunate thing about that is that, positive as they are, they have slept in one of our lodges; they have been driven around by some of our people. So, this irresponsibility is not just affecting the local business but is affecting our communities.”
Simelane-Zulu said she had been tipped off by local hospitality workers that some lodges in the area welcomed new international tourists on Sunday night.
She said law enforcement authorities had been ordered to deal with delinquent tourism businesses.
The MEC was also joined by KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala at the briefing; he said government would implement stricter policies to enforce COVID-19 prevention measures such as social distancing.
He’s reacted after people were spotted swimming at eThekwini beaches over the weekend despite measures imposed by the government.
Zikalala said these scenes were disappointing and deserved punishment.
The premier said all revellers who still visited popular coastline areas to swim and surf were behaving irresponsibly and they needed to be stopped.
“We are not going to allow the situation where there is a directive but some people behave as though there is no directive.”
Zikalala said he had instructed eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda to act decisively: “We have told him to ensure that all beaches are closed. No one should go swimming.”
Zikalala said the beach areas remained open to people who wanted to exercise but they should not gather in large groups.
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