WESTERN CAPE NEWS - In a media statement earlier today, Western Cape premier Alan Winde announced the end of his isolation period.
According to the statement:
Today marks 14 days since I first started experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. When I first started my isolation, the mandatory self-isolation period was 14 days- however Minister Zweli Mkhize announced on Friday that this has now been revised to 10 days for those who test positive, in line with WHO recommendations. I have therefore completed my isolation.
My health is slowly improving, although I am still experiencing some symptoms such as a cough. Over the past two weeks, I have been following my doctor's instructions to rest as much as possible, especially as I am in the high risk group of being a type 2 diabetic.
I have therefore been conducting a limited number of essential meetings from home during this period, but I am due to return to work tomorrow. I will continue to take precautions until I am fully recovered. I urge anyone who is COVID-19 positive, and especially those who fall into high risk groups, being over the age of 55 or with underlying illnesses, to do the same. Diabetics should also be monitoring themselves and their blood glucose levels closely.
Over this period, I have been overwhelmed by the kindness and care shown to me by people from across the province and the country. I am grateful for all of the messages, and support, which reflect the wonderful spirit of the people of this country. I ask that we all continue to hold those who are sick in our thoughts and take all the necessary precautions to ensure that we protect ourselves and others from contracting COVID-19.
Staying home whenever possible, or wearing a mask and social distancing when we do go out, are important steps in ensuring that we can slow the spread of the virus in this country. Hygiene measures such as hand washing, cleaning surfaces and covering your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze remain important at all times. These are simple precautions that can have a major impact, and I thank those people who have really taken every effort to protect themselves and their loved ones.
Update on the coronavirus
As of 13:00 on 19 July, the Western Cape has 13 331 active cases of COVID-19, with a total of 83 948 confirmed cases and 68001 recoveries.
Garden Route District:
- Bitou - 256 cases, 129 recoveries
- Knysna - 633 cases, 306 recoveries
- George - 1736 cases, 1017 recoveries
- Hessequa - 78 cases, 36 recoveries
- Kannaland - 43 cases, 21 recoveries
- Mossel Bay - 797 cases, 378 recoveries
- Oudtshoorn - 290 cases, 136 recoveries
More data is available on the dashboard here.
The Western Cape has recorded an additional 29 deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the province to 2616. We send our condolences to their loved ones at this time.
Data note
As we move closer to the peak, it is not possible to check and verify that the address data supplied for each new recorded case is correct, within the time frames required to provide regular and timely updates. This means that in some instances, cases could be allocated to the wrong sub-districts. We are working with the sub-districts to clean and verify the data and where errors are picked up locally, cases will be re-allocated to the correct areas.
An explanation of today's data
The total number of cases in the Western Cape is lower today than it was yesterday. This is because some cases from other provinces were mistakenly allocated to the Western Cape over the past week. This has been corrected, and as such, the total number of cases stands at 83948 today.
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