Justice and Correctional Services Minister Mr. Ronald Lamola, accompanied by Deputy Minister Nkosi Phathekile Holomisa, Premier of the Eastern Cape Mr. Oscar Mabuyane, MEC for Health Ms. Sindiswa Gomba, National Commissioner Mr. Arthur Fraser, Regional Commissioner Mr. Phiko Mbambo and other senior officials, visited the East London Correctional Facility today (12 April 2020).
The visit follows 26 confirmed cases of COVID-19, at East London Medium C Female Centre, of 23 officials and three inmates. More results of those tested are still being awaited. The positive cases follow mass screening at the East London facility, after the first positive case was recorded on 6 April 2020.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) commenced mass screening at the East London Facility on 8 and 9 April 2020, testing a total of 266 officials. In terms of the results released by NICD, 21 officials tested positive at East London Medium C Female Centre thus bringing the total number of positive officials at the East London facility to 23; 40 officials tested negative; and results of 40 officials are awaited. At the Maximum Centre, 13 officials tested negative; 3 officials at Medium B tested negative; and, 6 officials from the Area Commissioner’s Office tested negative.
Mass screening of 268 inmates at Medium C Female Centre was also conducted by the NICD, testing 30 offenders who displayed symptoms of COVID-19; three inmates tested positive; ten offenders tested negative; and, the results of the other inmates tested is awaited. Outstanding results are expected on 14 April 2020. More testing for both officials and inmates in the entire East London Management Area is continuing, and designated quarantine and isolation areas have been identified.
“At this moment, we want all South Africans not to panic as we have a coherent anti-COVID-19 Strategy that incorporates the expertise of different spheres of government. We are confident that infected officials and offenders will recover from this pandemic.
“We also take pride in the commitment of our officials in this era of the COVID-19 pandemic, which, in unprecedented proportions, confronts the entire global community. It hampers the ability of state institutions to continue providing uninterrupted services, but, at DCS, we profoundly appreciate the fact that we have officials dedicated to the course of combating COVID-19. These are men and women committed to herald an era of flattening the curve of the coronavirus in the country. We are proud of the fact that their efforts embody the public service that we seek to create in the sixth administration. Their efforts have been the enduring stamina that has enabled DCS not to record positive cases of COVID-19 across all its centres for a longer period,” said Minister Lamola.
Attached, please find the full statement of the Minister.
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