20 Apr 2020

All 36 traced contacts of the Siviya COVID-19 patient have tested negative for the corona-virus.

North East District Health Management Team (DHMT) coordinator, Ms Rodah Phindela, said all the contacts had been released from quarantine following  declaration of their results on Friday.

She stated that of the 36 contacts, some were the patient’s family members, public servants and members of the community.

The coordinator stated that the patient was admitted at Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital.

North East District commissioner, Mr Loeto Porati stated that stringent security measures would continue to be applied in Siviya, despite all contacts having tested negative.

He said it was upon every individual to act in accordance with all the regulations in place in oder to fight the pandemic instead of being policed by law enforcement officers.

The DC explained that COVID-19 pandemic should be taken seriously by adhering to social distancing, adding that these results should not blind people in thinking that they had conquered yet.

Mr Porati said as long as the lockdown exercise was in motion, people should continue to stay home and only leave their homes to access essential services such as health care.

The DC explained that as a district, they had effected regulations on the number of special permits to be issued on a daily basis as a way to de-congest people in public spaces.

Mr Porati said it was worrying to see some people roaming around villages when they had been instructed to stay home and stressed that no person should leave their house after 8pm. ENDS