Communities Urged to Follow Safety Protocols as COVID-19 Infections Rise

The Executive Mayor of Sarah Baartman District Municipality, Cllr Khunjuzwa Eunice Kekana, is making a call to all the residents of the district to prioritize COVID-19 safety protocols. COVID-19 infections in the district have nearly doubled in the last week, as infections increased from 139 on 13 June 2021 to 264 on 20 June 2021. The Executive Mayor encourages community members who are 60+ years old to register for the vaccination. She also calls on the youth to assist the elderly to register for the vaccine. The current total cases for Sarah Baartman District, as at 20 June 2021, are 22 428. To date 21 420 community members have recovered, making the total active cases 264. The breakdown per local municipality is as follows: The following towns have been identified as hotspot areas due to the high number of active cases (5 or more). Community members in these areas are urged to follow the safety protocols and to adhere to the current lockdown alert level three restrictions. The hotspot areas are Jeffreys Bay (65); Makhanda(35); Graaff-Reinet(32); Humandsdorp(22); Port Alfred(19); Somerset East(14); Jansenville(8); St. Francis Bay(8); Patensie(5). The Executive Mayor urges all community members to take the necessary precaution at all times. Executive Mayor Kekana states that being too relaxed around family, friends and colleagues can lead to increases in new infections such as those occurring in the district currently. She encourages community members to continue practising the safety methods which include: • Washing hands regularly with soap and water or an alcohol-based sanitiser. • Wearing a face mask. • Maintaining social distance. If you think that you might have contracted Covid-19, please dial *134*832# or send ‘Check’ to 0600 123 456 on WhatsApp. For more information community members can contact the Covid-19 24hr hotline number: 0800 029 999 or the Covid19 WhatsApp number: 0600 123 456. Ends Issued by: Sarah Baartman District Municipality Communications