City Press

cabinet set to announce crisis plans

With the number of South Africans infected with the Covid-19 coronavirus climbing at a rapid rate, an emergency Cabinet meeting scheduled for today is expected to come up with measures to curb the spread of the global pandemic in the country. Information gleaned from a high-level government document seen by City Press, as well as from interviews with senior officials, indicates that South Africa could follow the lead of some of the world’s most badly infected countries by imposing travel bans, instituting temporary closures of some airports and restricting public gatherings. Last night, a government source said that events where there were more than 1 000 people in attendance would be under scrutiny. The Cape Town Jazz Festival has been cancelled, and the Gauteng F1 is on hold. “It will be interesting to…

touchdown

Military health personnel, covered in protective medical gear, were ready and waiting when the SAA flight that went to China to rescue South Africans, trapped there as a result of the outbreak of the Covid-19 coronavirus, landed at Polokwane International Airport yesterday morning. Unlike other flights that landed and came closer to the hangar, this flight was special. It was directed 400 metres away from the main airport building as authorities took no chances in avoiding contact. After all, the flight was carrying the 122 locals who – while they had tested negative for the virus – would be quarantined for the next 21 days to ensure that any trace of Covid-19 would be eliminated. The crew who had manned the flight to China will also remain at The Ranch resort, about 20km…

companies must adapt policies to deal with outbreak

Companies must review and adapt their policies as soon as possible to prepare for the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. This has been the warning sounded by legal experts this week, against a backdrop of increasing numbers of South Africans contracting the virus and companies beginning to look at allowing people to work from home. “Companies may have to begin looking at granting extra sick leave for special circumstances, which Covid-19 undoubtedly is,” said attorney Anli Bezuidenhout, a senior associate specialising in employment law at legal firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr. According to Bezuidenhout and advocate Jackie Nagtegaal of legal insurance firm Law for All, an employee’s sick leave must be used if they are required to go into quarantine as a result of coming into contact with the virus. “It is also important to take into…

correction

In the article ‘Former DA heavyweights join Mashaba’, published in City Press on March 1 2020, we reported that Michael Beaumont’s relationship with the DA soured after it emerged that John Steenhuisen had an affair with Beaumont’s wife, Terry Kass, in 2010. However, Beaumont has pointed out that he continued serving in the DA until 2016 and left in good standing only when he was appointed as Herman Mashaba’s chief of staff in the City of Johannesburg. He said his relationship with the DA soured last year and had nothing to do with the affair. IS THERE A STORY THAT NEEDS TO BE HEARD? Let us know. Send an email to tipoff@citypress.co.za SUBSCRIBE TO CITY PRESS IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS AROUND THE HOME DELIVERY OF YOUR NEWSPAPER OR WANT TO SUBSCRIBE, THE DETAILS…

sa doctors flag coronavirus reaction to hiv and tb

South African doctors are very concerned about the possible impact of the new corona virus on people with HIV or TB, but there is no data about how these diseases would react to each other. What is certain is that people with heart disease, lung diseases and diabetes have a higher risk of getting sick and dying as a result of the Covid-19 coronavirus. According to the Johns Hopkins University in the US, the average fatality rate worldwide is 3.5% of diagnosed patients. Almost 81% of patients have light symptoms, 13.8% are admitted to hospital while 4.7% are critical and end up in the intensive care unit. Data from nearly 45 000 patients in China, where the Covid-19 outbreak started, show that older patients and those with other illnesses get sicker, with higher…

military might at the ranch

Military health personnel, covered in protective medical gear, were ready and waiting when the SAA flight that went to China to rescue South Africans, trapped there as a result of the outbreak of the Covid-19 coronavirus, landed at Polokwane International Airport yesterday morning. Unlike other flights that landed and came closer to the hangar, this flight was special. It was directed 400 metres away from the main airport building as authorities took no chances in avoiding contact. After all, the flight was carrying South Africans who – while they had tested negative for the virus – would be quarantined for the next 21 days to ensure that any trace of Covid-19 was eliminated. The crew who had manned the flight to China will also remain at The Ranch resort, situated about 20km from…