South Africa recorded 139 COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, which pushed the national death toll to 22 206. The Eastern Cape reported 124 deaths on Sunday, December 6 while the Western Cape and Gauteng recorded 14 and 1, respectively.
There are now 47 000 active cases, that the government is aware of in South Africa, with 4116 new infections being added since the last report. This brings the total number of confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic to 814 565.
Nearly 745 000 South Africans have recovered from the coronavirus so far.
As of today, the total number of confirmed #COVID19 cases is 814 565, the total number of deaths is 22 206 and the total number of recoveries is 744 780. pic.twitter.com/86uNY6PO52
— Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) December 6, 2020
The government’s decision to declare Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape a COVID-19 hotspot, on Thursday December 3, seems to be justified by the latest statistics. A number of restrictions have been imposed in the Nelson Mandela Bay district alongside the Level 1 Lockdown rules, including a curfew from 10pm to 4am.
The Western Cape is also undergoing a steep rise in COVID-19 infections — before the weekend the province added 1712 new cases in a 24-hour period between Thursday and Friday, December 4 which brought the number of active cases to 12418.
According to the latest COVID-19 update provided by Health Minister Dr Zwelin Mkhize on Sunday, the Western Cape added 3050 active cases and the total now stands at 15468.
Mkhize visited several popular nightlife hangouts on Friday night, in an effort to encourage the proprietors of these establishments to comply with COVID-19 environmental health regulations.
Two establishments, Cubana in Green Point and Rands in Khayelitsha, were issued notices of non-compliance, which is the first step before enforcement.
The increased policing of nightclubs is part of the province’s commitment to redoubling its efforts to curb the resurgence of coronavirus infections. Premier Alan Winde says they “have been working with traffic, law enforcement, environmental health officers and SAPS on increased enforcement of safety protocols.”
Winde identified 20 towns in the Western Cape with the most active COVID-19 cases and urged citizens to exercise caution when travelling to or from the areas.
George, along the Garden Route, is the area most at risk with 1362 cases, as of December 4. Cape Town follows with 1000 cases and the other high-risk areas are Mossel Bay (498) and Knysna (493).
⚠️ Top 20 towns in the WC per active Covid-19 cases.
Please share this information with people in the affected areas….
Posted by Premier Alan Winde on Saturday, December 5, 2020
Picture: Pixabay