Western Cape Covid-19 testing backlog drops dramatically

The Western Cape's Covid-19 testing backlog has decreased after setting new parameters that limit who gets tested. 

Once it has caught up with all its testing, the province might be able to expand who gets tested again.

City of Cape Town tears down tents erected by Observatory resident for the homeless

The City of Cape Town has removed two large marquees put up by an Observatory resident to house homeless people ahead of the cold front, which made landfall on Wednesday, because he did not have a permit, GroundUp reported.

The two 6x9 marquees were set up by Observatory resident Terna Gyuse and a few volunteers on Tuesday afternoon on the Village Green. The space where the structures were set up belongs to the City.

Dis-Chem is taking heat for charging staff for some Covid-19 tests, but says it’s complicated

Pharmaceutical retailer Dis-Chem is being criticised for offering free Covid-19 testing to South Africans who may not be able to pay for it themselves, but not providing free testing for its employees unless they turn out to actually have Sars-CoV-2.

Two buildings at the Gauteng Department of Education's head offices have been closed after two staff members tested positive for Covid-19.

In a statement, the department said affected employees along with their families were receiving support and World Health Organisation protocols were being followed.

The offices will be disinfected from Thursday and staff will be able to return to their workstations on Monday.

 Cigarette ban is both legal and supported by science, state argues in court

The government has maintained in court that Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, acted legally and rationally in banning the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products under the nationwide lockdown, saying the Disaster Management Act affords the minister broad powers to safeguard the health of SA citizens.

A month after President Cyril Ramaphosa authorised the parole of 19 000 inmates as a measure to combat the spread of Covid-19 in prisons, over 1 800 parolees have been released.

Department of Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo confirmed to News24 on Tuesday that a total of 1 894 parolees as of 10 June, have been placed out under the under Covid-19 parole dispensation.

Dlamini-Zuma asks for leave to appeal lockdown regulations ruling

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has filed an application for leave to appeal against a High Court judgment that declared various regulations governing levels 3 and 4 as unconstitutional and invalid.

In the application, her lawyers argued Judge Norman Davis had erred in striking down the disaster regulations on the basis that a number of Level 3 regulations were irrational and unconstitutional.

Mabuyane wants alcohol ban until Level 1 in Eastern Cape, hits back at 'irresponsible' critics

Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has fired back at people criticising him for petitioning for an alcohol ban in the province until Level 1 of the lockdown.

Mabuyane's scathing statement comes after criticism this week, mainly from liquor traders and alcohol consumers, for lobbying the national government to reinstate the liquor ban in the Eastern Cape.

UK PM Boris Johnson defends country's efforts to fight virus, global death toll climbs

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday defended what he called Britain's "astonishing" efforts to tackle coronavirus, rejecting accusations that with Europe's worst death toll, his government has nothing to be proud of.

More than 40 000 people are confirmed to have died from Covid-19 in Britain's outbreak so far, although the figure rises to more than 50 000 when suspected cases are include

SA hit as hackers target hospitals during Covid-19 crisis - here's what Life may be facing

The cyber attack that has rocked Life Healthcare hospitals across the country is most likely a form of ransomware, according to cyber-security experts.

Alexandra residents say they are losing faith in the law after Collins Khosa's death

Alexandra residents have rejected a South African National Defence Force (SANDF) report which found no wrongdoing by its soldiers in the death of Collins Khosa.

Schools reopening: High Court strikes EUSA bid to have decision overturned off the roll

An urgent application by the Educators Union of South Africa (EUSA) to interdict the reopening of schools was struck off the roll by the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday.

'Days of Our Lives' star Judi Evans in hospital battling Covid-19, shares she nearly needed her legs amputated

Judi Evans is currently in hospital battling Covid-19.

The actor, best known for her role as Adrienne Johnson Kiriakis in Days of Our Lives, contracted the virus in May after being initially hospitalised following a horse-riding accident, reports Variety.

Judi Evans has been in hospital for 23 days. (Gregg DeGuire, Getty Images)

Lockdown: Spike in murder rate since alcohol sales ban lifted - Bheki Cele

Since the alcohol sales ban was lifted at the beginning of the Level 3 lockdown in June, there has been a surge in murders after a lull between March and May.

Air Namibia cancelled repatriation flights out of Joburg and Cape Town - and won't say why

Air Namibia has "discontinued" all its charter flights – including special repatriation flights that had been due to take Namibians home from Johannesburg and Cape Town.

SA business confidence drops to lowest in 45 years

In the second quarter of this year, business confidence in South Africa fell to its lowest level ever recorded on the RMB/BER Business Confidence Index, which started in 1975.

Summary of school readiness interaction  

Professors Eugene Weinberg and Heather Zar agree that there is a low risk of children contracting Covid-19 at school. And even if they do, they are likely to have mild symptoms.  

NMU education lecturer Nadeema Musthan says that the school system in SA perpetuates inequality and schools run on the backs of teachers.  

She argues that infrastructure in the Eastern Cape is poor – even before the impact of coronavirus.  

Joseph Gerassi of Redhill School acknowledges that there is a big disparity between private and public schools and says that private schools are in a much better financial and social position to continue with teaching and learning.  

Gerda Kriel is concerned about the mental health of school pupils and advises parents to engage with their children to ensure that they are able to cope with the pandemic.  

She encourages parents to monitor their children's browsing on social media.

No indemnity form can protect you against negligence, says Gerassi.  

Says that there was communication with parents and staff. We take the safety of our students very seriously

Three or more cases in a class would constitute an outbreak in a school, says Prof Zar.  

We are going to get more cases. Parents should not get alarmed.  

This virus is going to be here for months.

Gerassi says schools should not close if one student or teacher gets infected.  

Notes that the school is being prepared to cope with the impact of coronavirus.  

Parents have informed the school if students have come into contact with the virus

Education and schooling should not be conflated, says Musthan.  

The system is set up to reproduce inequality.  

She highlights the appropriateness of teachers for the subject and grade

Visors are second best to masks says Prof Zar.  

Young children especially find masks difficult.  

Covid is an opportunity to restructure the inequality at schools

Children wearing masks all day is not a concern, says Prof Weinberg.  

Masks must be washed regularly.  

Some Vaseline behind the ears helps with irritation behind the ears.  

Not all schools are ready in terms of preparation

Gerassi says Redhill School put together a virtual music festival.  

The school has a radio station which broadcasts online the whole day.  

We're trying not to stop anything that they are used to doing

Kriel is seeing an increase in mental health problems in children.  

Social media is not conducive for the mental health of adolescents.  

Encouraging your child to do a video call is healthy, but not spending time on social browsing

Parents should engage with their children, says Kriel.  

Children are not accustomed to seeing people with masks.

Children take their emotional cues from their parents.  

Parents need to check themselves.  

There is no new normal, says Gerda Kriel

Young children learn from social interaction, says Gerassi.  

Older kids are okay.  

Some of the older children prefer online learning

There is a large amount of guilt, says Joseph Gerassi.  

Private school kids have a world class education, and the rest of our kids live in a difficult time.  

It's a very sad situation

Nadeema Musthan says schools in the Eastern Cape were not even ready for teaching and learning before Covid.  

Schools don't have toilets or water. Water tanks aren't filled.  

The school system lives and dies on the backs of its teachers

Even children with underlying diseases seem not to develop serious symptoms.  

Children are very different to adults in terms of underlying diseases, says Prof Zar

Children are at low risk from Covid-19, says Prof Heather Zar.  

There are far more cases from flu than Covid-19 in in children.  

All children should get the influenza vaccine.  

There's a 6% chance of transmission in the household. Older people should especially practise social distancing

Prof Eugene Weinberg says associations have put weight to sending children back to school.  

As long as associated illnesses are well-controlled.  

Children appear to have a resistance to Covid-19

Nicaragua doctors 'fired' for criticising govt over Covid-19

At least eight doctors working for Nicaragua's public health system were sacked on Tuesday for criticising President Daniel Ortega's government for a slow response to the coronavirus pandemic, medical professionals said.

Infectious disease specialist Carlos Quant, a member of Nicaragua's independent Scientific Multidisciplinary Committee set up to respond to the crisis in the wake of government inaction, said the doctors had been fired for supporting his call for voluntary quarantine measures.

- AFP

SA malls are still quiet - a third of shops in a top Joburg centre aren't even open yet

New data, released by one of South Africa’s biggest mall owners, show that shopping centres are still much quieter than a year ago, as the national lockdown and the coronavirus crisis continue to dampen activity.

UFS statement:

UFS professor part of history after Covid-19 RNA is extracted from various sewage samples (excerpt)

History was made in South Africa this week when a commercial laboratory became the first to extract Covid-19 RNA from various sewage samples in the country. This was done as a proof of concept, after the Dutch research agency KWR entered into an agreement with the SA Business Water Chamber on 9 April this year.

...

Prof Anthony Turton from the Centre for Environmental Management at the University of the Free State (UFS) says it is now possible to monitor the total viral load in each of the 824 wastewater treatment works in South Africa. Once the population size within the catchment area of the works is known, a calculation of the total viral load is possible, with a reasonable degree of accuracy. This accuracy will improve over time as the technology becomes more robust. 

...

A number of sewage works were sampled to emulate the complexity of a national operation should rapid implementation be required. The first samples were taken on Thursday 4 June. These were prepared according to a precise protocol and were shipped to the laboratory hundreds of kilometres away. The samples were prepared according to the stringent requirements of the protocol, and Covid-19 RNA was successfully extracted on Monday 8 June. Lessons learned in the first trial are being fed back to the team in preparation for the second sampling run that will take place shortly. 

Prof Anthony Turton from the Centre for Environmental Management at the University of the Free State. (UFS)

Lockdown: SA's tourism sector needs a clear revival plan - Tourism Business Council

With the hope of averting more job losses and business shutdowns in the tourism industry, the Tourism Business Council of SA says a revival plan is needed to ensure South Africa's status as a top tourism destination.

Govt's coronavirus command council not established in terms of any act, Ramaphosa's answers reveal

The National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) was not established in terms of the Disaster Management Act.

This was revealed in President Cyril Ramaphosa's answers to DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach.

Childcare centres eager to reopen, say they serve as places of safety for children

Some early childhood development centres have told News24 about their eagerness to reopen, but parents are grappling with the idea of sending their young ones back amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

ECD centre. (Getty Images)

The Western Cape's tightrope walk: Keeping businesses open amid a rising tide of infections

Western Cape Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities David Maynier has called for businesses to stick to safety measures aimed at containing the coronavirus, warning that a return to stricter lockdown measures could have a devastating impact on the province's economy.

This SA startup is gaining traction for its Covid-19 tracing tech

A South African start-up has launched a cheap approach to contact tracing to help with their coronavirus measures.

I had no idea just how loved he was – wife of cameraman killed by Covid-19

Lungile Tom was the life of his home.

"He was the heart of this family. He was love personified," his grieving wife, Nandipha, told News24.

Lungile Tom with his wife Nandipha Nombutuma. (Supplied, Nandipha Nombutuma)