‘It is unthinkable’: Two new super-spreader events identified in KZN

KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala delivered a glum press conference on Sunday, in which he revealed that two major super-spreader events had been detected in the province. Thousands attended the unauthorised congregations, which are said to have broken the legal limits for gatherings ten-fold.

Where are the new super-spreader events in KZN?

Zikalala, clearly irked by the irresponsible behaviour displayed by these KZN residents, slammed the gatherings as ‘unthinkable’ during a time of crisis. South Africa is battling both a new strain of COVID-19, and the second wave of infections. The Premier went on to release more details about the confirmed super-spreader events.

  • A church gathering that took place in Assisi Convent in Ugu District has been flagged
  • Meanwhile, a mass protest in Kwasizabantu in Umzinyathi district also set alarm bells ringing
  • The super-spreader event in Ugu was sparked by a mass church gathering, which has been linked to six deaths.
  • Meanwhile, the demonstration in Kwasizabantu attracted more than 2 000 people – causing at least 48 infections.

Zikalala blasts mass gatherings

‘Rage parties’ hosted a few weeks ago were blamed for an initial spike in provincial cases. And now, the figures for KZN are looking increasingly bleak: Deaths have rocketed in the province, and there’s a clear upwards trend in new infections. Zikalala issued a stern warning to locals, and didn’t attempt to hide his dismay:

“KZN has seen a 4% increase in infections between week 50 and 51. Over the past week, the highest number of cases received was 2 912 on Saturday, while the average number of cases recorded daily was 2 165 cases a day. The actual cummulative number of deaths, which occurred during week 50, was 68 – and for week 51, it was 111.”

“The recent cluster outbreaks in gatherings have proven to be fatal. These events are simply unthinkable. We once again wish to issue a warning to our fellow compatriots that we are now confronted by a dangerous outbreak of Covid-19 in KwaZulu-Natal. We appeal that everyone acts responsibly.”

Sihle Zikalala


No comments:

ads
Powered by Blogger.