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Health • Rural Development • Employment • Safety & Security • Education ProducedVuk’uzenzele by: Government Communication & Information System (GCIS) April 2020 Edition 2 Your Support labour for school rights learners during lockdown Page 12 Page 11 Stay at home, save South Africa! More Matshediso he novel coronavirus (COVID-19) out- Tbreak has claimed thousands of lives and turned the world upside down. South Africa has not been spared, with its infection rate growing. Government initially imposed restrictions to enforce social distancing but as the infections spread, a national lockdown was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa and came into effect on 26 March. He highlighted that never before in the history of South Africa’s democracy has the country been confronted with such a severe situation. The President said the nationwide lockdown was a necessary move to contain the spread of COVID-19 and ‘flat- ten the curve’ in South Africa. In the coming days and weeks, 10 000 Community Health Care Workers will be deployed across the country to conduct door-to-door screening in our most vulnerable communities • Cont page 2 ToALSO read AVAILABLEVuk'uzenzele ON: download the GOVAPP on: CONTACT US Vuk'uzenzele @VukuzenzeleNews Website: www.gcis.gov.za Email: [email protected] www.vukuzenzele.gov.za Tel: (+27) 12 473 0353 Tshedimosetso House: Search for SA Government on Google playstore or appstore 1035 cnr Frances Baard and Festival streets, Hatfield, Pretoria, 0083 FREE COPY NOT FOR SALE 2 April 2020 Edition 2 CORONAVIRUS Vuk’uzenzele UPDATE sell essential goods – such spread of the virus. The South African National Defence Force is on a mission to help save South Africa from Coronavirus. as clothing stores, casinos, The military is assisting in markets and food stalls. roadblocks and foot patrols Game reserves, lodges and to enforce lockdown cur- guesthouses also have to fews. They are also involved keep their doors closed, ex- in border control activities cept those who already had and are supporting health international tourists booked authorities. in when the shutdown was Temporary shelters that announced. In these cases, meet the necessary hygiene the guests are to be kept at standards have been created their lodgings under the for homeless people. v conditions of the national lockdown. Minister Cele warned that on-consumption premises • From page 1 ers will be visiting homes in medical care, buying food, at which alcohol is sold – • Community Health Care villages, towns and cities to medicine and other supplies including shebeens, shisan- Workers will be going to As a result, people are ex- screen residents for COV- or collecting social grants. yamas and taverns – may different communities pected to stay home and only ID-19 symptoms. People with The regulations were not operate. In fact, in the across the country to venture out if they absolutely symptoms will be referred to released by Co-operative hours after the lockdown conduct door-to-door have to, which means jogging local clinics or mobile clinics Governance and Traditional was implemented, people screening. and dog walking are not for testing. Affairs Minister Nkosaza- who ignored the restrictions • The deployment will allowed during the 21-day “People who are infected na Dlamini-Zuma, who and were out drinking were follow a phased and lockdown. People must also with coronavirus, but who explained that the Disaster arrested. targeted approach and buy their essentials from their have no or moderate symp- Management Act prohibits Should the lockdown laws high-density areas such closest retailer or spaza shop toms will remain in isolation people from moving alcohol be broken, perpetrators face as Alexandra, Diepsloot and should plan their trips at home or at a facility pro- from one place to another. six months in jail or fines, and Khayelitsha will be to ensure they get home as vided by government and “What you have at home, or both. To ensure that the visited in the first wave. • Community Health Care quickly as possible and don’t those with severe symptoms you consume there at home, lockdown is effectively im- Workers will be provided have to go out again too soon. will be transferred to hospi- not next door,” the minister plemented, the South Afri- with uniforms and “This is a decisive measure tals,” he added. explained. can National Defence Force identifiable tags which to save millions of South Using a mobile technology, Areas closed to the public (SANDF) was deployed to will make it easier for Africans from infection and an extensive tracing system include religious, cultural, support the South African you to identify them. save the lives of hundreds of will be rapidly deployed to sporting, entertainment, Police Service. • Screening in other thousands of people. While trace those who have been in educational, organisational Defence Minister Nosiviwe areas will be rolled this measure will have a con- contact with confirmed coro- and similar premises. This Mapisa-Nqakula said the out following the same siderable impact on people’s navirus cases and to monitor includes cinemas, parks, lockdown is not meant to phased and targeted livelihoods, on the life of our the geographical location of beaches, swimming pools, punish citizens but rather approach. society and on our economy, new cases in real time. nightclubs, shops that don’t to contain and minimise the the human cost of delaying this action would be far, far It’s simple – Screening is essential in this fight greater,” said the President. stay at home! The nationwide lockdown Police Minister Bheki Cele take your temperature. or underlying condition such as high is being accompanied by a firmly told South Africans to • The health worker will ask if you: blood pressure or diabetes. public health management stay at home and avoid being 1. Have travelled to a high-risk coun- • Community Health Care Workers will programme which will sig- on the streets unnecessarily. try in the last 14 days. refer persons suspected of having nificantly increase screening, He said they should only 2. Have had contact with anyone Coronavirus to the nearest commu- testing, contact tracing and leave their homes to provide with confirmed COVID-19 in the nity health centre, clinic or hospital. medical management. or seek essential services, last 14 days. • Tests will only be conducted at which are listed in the COV- President Cyril Ramaphosa has informed 3. Have symptoms such as fever, cough health care facilities and mobile Screening, testing ID-19 Disaster Management South Africans that government will be and difficulty in breathing. testing sites. and tracing Regulations. rolling out a screening, testing and trac- • If you have travelled to a high-risk • Not everyone will be tested, health programme People who don’t obey the ing and medical management programme country or have had contact with workers will use a formula by look- President Ramaphosa recent- conditions of the lockdown which will see field workers visiting your someone with COVID-19 you must ing at how serious your symptoms ly made another announce- could find themselves on communities to screen people for Corona- self-quarantine. are and what high risk factors you ment that government will be the wrong side of the law, he virus symptoms. This is why screening is • This means that you should stay at have. rolling out a screening, test- warned. important; home for 14 days and monitor yourself • Testing includes collecting a biolog- ing and tracing and medical The exempted conditions • Screening is a way for health workers for symptoms such as a dry cough, ical sample from a patient such as a management programme on in which non-essential to find out if you may have COVID-19 fever and difficulty breathing. Stay nasal swab or a blood sample, which a huge scale. workers are allowed to leave or not. The health worker will ask you away from older people and people is then tested by a laboratory for the “Around 10 000 field work- their homes include seeking questions and scan your forehead to with a compromised immune system virus or its antibodies. Head of Editorial and Production News Editor Language Practitioners Tasneem Carrim | [email protected] Noluthando Motswai Nomgcibelo Motha Boitumelo Phalatse Editor-in-Chief Writers Tyrone Seale | [email protected] More Matshediso, Jauhara Khan Vuk’uzenzele All rights reserved. Reproduction of the newspaper in Silusapho Nyanda whole or in part without written permission is strictly Tel: 012 473 0089 is published by Government prohibited. Managing Editor Communications (GCIS) Email: [email protected] Ongezwa Mogotsi Senior Designer | Tendai Gonese Address: Private Bag X745, Pretoria, 0001 Distributed by: [email protected] Junior Designer | Tsholofelo Sepeng Printed by: Vuk’uzenzele FROM THE UNION BUILDINGS April 2020 Edition 2 3 Together we can overcome COVID-19 uring the first 700,000 and the number of full week of the deaths exceeds 33,000, we Dnation-wide lock- can draw lessons from these down to combat the countries. coronavirus pandemic that It is now abundantly clear is devastating the world, that the most effective way we were grateful for good for a society to contain the news that brought us joy spread of the disease is for the and hope at this difficult population to remain at home and uncertain time. and physically isolated from The 114 South Africans who each other for at least several were evacuated from Wuhan weeks. And it is important in China some weeks ago end- that this lockdown and all ed their quarantine and were other emergency measures reunited with their families. are both strictly adhered to They have all tested negative and consistently enforced. for the virus and are in good As the South Africans from health and good spirits.

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