COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES | There are more than 300 positive health workers in SA

April 29 2020 - 09:28

Covid-19: More than 300 positive health workers in SA

More than 300 health workers have tested positive for Covid-19 in South Africa, the department of health revealed.

The department said 195 of these cases were in the private sector.

April 29 2020 - 08:57

Can I move home yet? Covid-19 lockdown regulations require clarity

Does the move from level 5 lockdown to level 4 on Friday mean that people will be permitted to move home?

It’s a question which tenants, new homeowners, landlords and removals companies desperately want answered.

“I’m all packed, ready to move into my new home on the 1st, but there seems to be no certainty as to whether I can or not,” said Mouna Cox. “Nowhere does it say we are not allowed to move, but nowhere does it state that we can!”

April 29 2020 - 08:11

Discovery staffer tests positive, more cases at Woolworths

With Woolworths Access Park in Port Elizabeth now hit by a devastating 10 Covid-19 positive cases, Discovery Health — also based in the city — reported its first case of the coronavirus.

Staff from Woolworths Food Access Park said on Tuesday they had started a support group to help each other deal with the fear as the number of positive cases rises.

Another five Access Park staff members tested positive for the virus, as well as a contractor who came into contact with employees.

April 29 2020 - 08:00

'I would never change it for anything': Inside the life of a Covid-19 tester

For Bhelekazi Mdlalose, nursing is more than just a job - it's a passion.

Mdlalose is a registered nurse and Covid-19 tester working for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) in partnership with the department of health.

TimesLIVE followed her for a day life to see what it's like being on the frontline of the pandemic.

April 29 2020 - 07:57

Covid-19: Cuban doctors to cost SA taxpayers millions of rand

The arrival of over 200 Cuban medical doctors in SA is set to cost the country hundreds of millions of rand.

In documents seen by Business Day, projected costs for a medical brigade of 187 Cuban personnel was R440m. An even bigger contingent arrived in SA on Sunday, consisting of 217 personnel, the publication reported.

The documents showed that the average cost of the Cuban medical brigade was projected at R2.35m a person.

April 29 2020 - 07:43

Family self-isolates after four test positive for Covid-19

I miss being able to share a meal with my family where we’d make jokes and enjoy each other’s company  — now we have to talk behind a glass window.

That was the sentiment of Sifiso Matanga, 29, who lives in Kwazakhele, Port Elizabeth, with 11 family members at his aunt’s house, reports HeraldLIVE.

The split in the family came when they discovered four members of the family had tested positive for Covid-19.

April 29 2020 - 07:30

Farmers and community in Overberg open their kitchens to the poor

In the Overberg district of the Western Cape, farmers and townspeople are bartering agricultural produce to keep soup kitchens full and nutritious and the hunger at bay as the national lockdown forces thousands out of work.

By the end of last week food relief promised by government in the form of food parcels had not yet filtered down to rural farming towns in the Overberg.

April 29 2020 - 07:00

Cyber crimes 'on the rise' during Covid-19 lockdown, warn experts

The global Covid-19 pandemic is not only a health issue: cyber attacks are also on the rise as more and more people work from home during the lockdown.

Vodacom says it has seen a 40% jump in data usage during the lockdown as many people spend far more time online than usual, including performing day-to-day tasks such as shopping, banking, watching content and socialising.

Cyber criminals have quickly seized the opportunities to exploit the crisis by adapting their modes of operation and developing new cyber-related attacks and online criminal activities, it warned.

April 29 2020 - 06:56

'Prima donna ministers messing up the country': Holomisa on Ramaphosa's Covid-19 leadership

United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader Bantu Holomisa said President Cyril Ramaphosa's appointed ministers lack strong leadership, and this could be his weakness during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Holomisa said Ramaphosa's ministers are "all talk" and contradict each other.

Speaking on 702, Holomisa commended Ramaphosa for how he was dealing with the pandemic. However, he lamented the behaviour of ministers.

April 29 2020 - 06:45

'Recipe for disaster': Parents and teachers ask Motshekga not to reopen schools

An invitation by the basic education department to the public to send through the most important questions they would like to ask minister Angie Motshekga when she addresses the nation has opened a can of worms.

The department was inundated with tweets from parents and teachers who overwhelmingly called for schools to remain closed because of serious concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.

Some described the reopening of schools as “suicidal” and “a recipe for disaster”.

April 29 2020 - 06:40

Amcu in court to force minister to publish safety regulations in mines

An application by the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) to force the department of mineral resources and energy to set minimum standards for health and safety during the Covid-19 pandemic is set to be heard in the labour court on Wednesday morning.

The union said it brought the application after mining companies were given the green light to ramp up to 50% of production during phase five of the national lockdown, with production set to increase even more after May 1, when phase four 4 of the lockdown commences.