08 Jul 2020

 A total of nine people who had contact with a COVID-19 positive truck driver were on Tuesday released from quarantine after receiving a clean bill of health.

According to the head of preventive services for Kanye District Health Management Team (DHMT), Dr Dick Mpitika, the nine had contact with a truck driver who was delivering spares materials in some shops in Kanye recently.

He said of the nine, seven had direct contact with the said driver and were put on quarantine at two different centres while the remaining two were on home quarantine since they were casual contacts.

Dr Mpitika urged them to be cautious since the negative results did not mean that they were immune to the virus. He noted even though the DHMT did their best in as far as service delivery was concerned, they were open to suggestions that could help improve their service.

“Despite economic challenges, the government is committed to delivering the best health care and therefore I hope you had a comfortable stay in the quarantine centres. Notwithstanding, we welcome any suggestions on how we can improve our service,” he said.

For his part, the community health nurse Mr Ralekgotla Mosiamiemang called on them to be prepared for any stigma from society.

“Even though you know your families are expecting you today, be open-minded because there is still stigma associated with COVID-19,” he said.

However, he noted that if they felt unwelcome in society, they should contact the DHMT for psychological support. He also assured them that health officials would make spot checks at their work places to ensure compliance to COVID-19 protocols.

Relating her quarantine experience, Ms Keitumetse Leero said initially it was hard to accept the situation due to the stigma surrounding COVID-19. However, she prepared herself for any results and also appreciated the efforts by the resident nurse who was always helping with explanations pertaining to COVID-19 and counselling.

Nonetheless, she said she was concerned that society was not ready to welcome them as they had been receiving calls from people who had concluded that they tested positive.

“Honestly, it is not going to be easy going forward because people have the impression that we contracted the virus. We don’t know how long it will take for them to understand that we are not sick,” she noted.

The experience, she said, was a learning curve and she would continue to be more cautious by observing the health protocols as well as raising awareness amongst her colleagues. Ends