Provincial health authorities on Thursday said they noted increases in infections in certain clusters in the Cape in recent weeks.
CAPE TOWN – The Western Cape Government has cautioned residents against becoming “too relaxed” about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Provincial health authorities on Thursday said they noted increases in infections in certain clusters in the Cape in recent weeks.
They have since reiterated the importance of adhering to the protocols to prevent a second wave like those experienced in parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
Western Cape Health authorities urged the public to remain COVID-19 vigilant.
Premier Alan Winde said the reality is that some countries were already experiencing second waves of infection and warned it could happen in South Africa if we’re not careful.
He said they had the determination, knowledge and ability to stop it from happening – if everyone worked together.
The provincial head of health doctor Keith Cloete said they were currently implementing a surveillance system which allowed their teams to hunt “bushfires” or clusters of infections, through contact tracing, pattern identification and testing.
He said it was this surveillance system which enabled the identification of a recent cluster of infections in the Southern Suburbs relating to a bar incident in Claremont.
“You don’t know when you’re going to a gathering, whether or not you are infected, so essentially everyone should be regarded as high risk and any gathering you walk into could start a knock-on effect and it could become a super spreader event.”
