Ekurhuleni closes Duduza Clinic after nurse tests COVID-19 positive

The City of Ekurhuleni has shut down the Duduza Clinic after confirming that a nurse had tested positive for the deadly COVID-19 virus.

A statement issued by the municipality issued a statement on Wednesday night, informing the public of the indefinite closure of the clinic and the urgent efforts undertaken to trace contact points associated with the infected nurse. Executive Mayor of Ekurhuleni, Mzwandile Masina, has vowed to visit the clinic and surrounding area on Tuesday to inspect the containment operation.

According to the municipality, testing was carried out after it was determined that the nurse had attended a prayer breakfast meeting in Bloemfontein hosted by the Divine Restoration Ministries. The same prayer meeting has resulted in widespread tracing efforts and infections affecting religious leaders, like evangelist Angus Buchan, and politicians, like African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) leader, Kenneth Meshoe.

COVID-19 fallout from Free State church gathering ‘unprecedented’

The Free State confirmed that the fallout from the religious gathering, which was held on 10 March, has been widespread and unprecedented in terms of local transmission. Mondli Mvambi, spokesperson for the province’s health department, confirmed that the search extended into Gauteng, the Eastern Cape and Western Cape. The department has been assisted by hundreds of Red Cross volunteers in their tracing efforts to avoid secondary local transmissions.

The nurse, working at the Duduza Clinic, tested positive for COVID-19 on 31 March; three weeks after attending the prayer meeting in Bloemfontein. The nurse has since been placed under quarantine and medical observation.

Tracing patients who had contact with infected nurse

The City of Ekurhuleni noted that its tracing efforts had been urgently intensified to track patients and other clinic staff who may have come into contact with the nurse during the three-week period. Staff at the clinic displaying symptoms associated with the coronavirus have been tested and placed in self-isolation.

Mayor Masina noted that, in light of the clinic’s closure, mobile healthcare units would be deployed to the surrounding area. Masina called on all healthcare workers to exercise caution and follow stringent hygiene protocols, saying:

“We continue to call for call within our communities as we respond to cases of COVID-19 in and around Ekurhuleni. What is of the utmost importance is that we isolate the virus wherever it rears its ugly head.”

The Mayor also called on citizens to obey the lockdown laws as a means of flattening the curve and reducing the virus’ infection rate.