Durban looks set to remain in hard lockdown come 1 May

Durban residents looking forward to an easing of lockdown conditions may have to wait as the KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala has warned that eThekwini could remain at level five come 1 May.

High rates of local transmission of COVID-19 have been recorded in the city which has become the epicentre of the pandemic in the province.

Durban faces longer stretch in hard lockdown

Zikalala warned that if Durban continued to report high numbers of new cases daily the lockdown would not be eased.

“Even during level four, the risk is still too high. 

“As things stand, it looks like eThekwini will remain at a higher level of lockdown than other areas.” 

The Premier dropped the lockdown bombshell while addressing the media on Sunday 26 April. Zikalala also gave a breakdown of KwaZulu-Natal’s COVID-19 cases.

Zikalala is concerned that the province accounts for 21% of South Africa’s new cases of COVID-19 with the bulk of infections reported in the province’s largest city.

The Premier was troubled by the fact that 121 healthcare workers in KwaZulu-Natal have tested positive for the virus. Another cause for concern was the iLembe district just north of Durban experiencing a spike in cases as well.

“As of the 25 April 2020, KwaZulu-Natal has had 846 confirmed cases, 29 deaths, and 241 recoveries. While there were no [new] deaths reported we remain vigilant in our monitoring and management of the cases.

“We are still noticing a trend whereby most of our new cases are being registered in eThekwini, which is recording above 10 cases per day. In fact, there is not a single day that eThekwini does not report new cases – unlike other districts, which can go for days without having new cases.”

“Last Sunday, we had 383 cases for eThekwini; today, we are at 579.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala

“All the other four districts have registered one death since the start of the pandemic. So, as things stand, we remain more concerned with the eThekwini situation and what is emerging in the iLembe District.

Zikalala has commissioned an investigation into the high rate of transmission in and around eThekwini metro.

“We have therefore instituted an investigation through the department of health. This investigation must tell us whether this is due to medical reasons or negligence.”

COVID-19 cases in KwaZulu-Natal by municipality

• Amajuba 8
• eThekwini 579
• King Cetshwayo 12
• Harry Gwala 1
• iLembe 122
• Ugu 16
• uMgungundlovu 49
• uMkhanyakude 21
• uMzinyathi 3
• uThukela 23
• Zululand 2