The Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has stated that reluctance by some South Africans to quarantine and self-isolate in Government provided facilities remains one of the country’s biggest challenges in the fight to contain COVID-19.
This, as more than 11 000 new infections and 93 new deaths are recorded in the past 24 hours.
The Minister has pleaded with all South Africans who are positive to self-isolate and self-quarantine in places, including Government provided facilities, where they do not interact with other people. “We cannot stress enough that this is a critical strategy to break the chain of transmission”, he added.
Reasons for reluctance to use Government facilities include:
- Fear of safety for their homes
- People who look after the elderly or young children and do not have alternative options
- Perceptions that quarantine sites feel like a prison
- Not being able to see girlfriends, boyfriend, wives and husbands etc.
- Not being able to drink alcohol or smoke
Latest Statistics
Provincial Breakdown – Positive Cases
| PROVINCE | CASES (AS OF 13 JULY 2020) | % TOTAL |
| Eastern Cape | 52 058 | 18,1 |
| Free State | 5 632 | 2,0 |
| Gauteng | 103 713 | 36,0 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 27 387 | 9,5 |
| Limpopo | 3 316 | 1,2 |
| Mpumalanga | 4 299 | 1,5 |
| North West | 10 525 | 3,7 |
| Northern Cape | 1 522 | 0,5 |
| Western Cape | 79 344 | 27,6 |
| Total | 287 796 | 100 |
Provincial Deaths & Recoveries
| PROVINCE | DEATHS | RECOVERIES |
| Eastern Cape | 709 | 32 083 |
| Free State | 35 | 746 |
| Gauteng | 644 | 33 514 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 286 | 7 521 |
| Limpopo | 33 | 1 147 |
| Mpumalanga | 33 | 910 |
| North West | 36 | 2 474 |
| Northern Cape | 11 | 354 |
| Western Cape | 2 385 | 59 492 |
| Total | 4 172 | 138 241 |
Source: sacoronavirus.co.za
** If you think you have been exposed to the COVID-19, please call the government’s 24-hour hotline on 0800 029 999 or visit https://sacoronavirus.co.za/ for more information.
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