
He said the province should continue to work hard in the battle to contain the spread of the SARS-COV-2 as the number of infected people will continue to rise countrywide.
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday commended Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane’s Covid-19 response, saying this was quite “impressive and admirable”.
Ramaphosa said Tsipane should also be recommended for looking at the economic impact that the virus was already having in her province.
The President made an oversight visit to the province together with health minister Zweli Mkhize, justice minister Ronald Lamola and education minister Angie Motshekga.
He said things are still going to get worse, with more infections and the severe economic impact being felt by all in our country.
“In the next 3 months, when they count where we are, they will find that we are in a much deeper recession,” the President said during the oversight visit Friday midday in Mbombela.
“Many of our people are going to lose jobs and it’s going to be great hardship that lies ahead,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa spoke after Tsipane had delivered her province’s report, highlighting some of the measures being employed by her government in the battle against the SARS-COV-2 disease.
Mpumalanga is currently one of the least hit province, with 1 478 infections, 7 deaths and 520 recoveries as of 2 July 2020.
“Your province is still much better placed than other provinces,” said Ramaphosa to Tsipane.
In her report to the President, Tsipane said they had worked hard in doing active case finding, screening and testing.
“This strategy has proven to be effective as evidenced by the fact that the province remains one of the few in the country with a relatively low burden of the virus,” she said.
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She said 3 pillars would be employed by her government as part the strategies to fight the Corona Virus, namely primary prevention, secondary intervention and post COVID-19 aftermath.
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Tsipane said the primary prevention pillar of her strategy seeks to promote health and “behavioural change amongst the communities in the province”.
“Furthermore the strategic objective of this approach is to interrupt and contain the spread of COVID 19 through the establishment of 402 ward based containment teams under the leadership of ward councillors and thus deploying a “wall to wall” strategy across all wards in the province,” she said.

Tsipane said the intervention pillar will look at positive cases, the establishment of field hospitals and the use of the dexamethasone drug, while the post-Covid-19 aftermath pillar will be concentrating on burial of those who will die from the vicious virus.
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“With the gradual uplifting of social restrictions and the incorporation of the risk adjusted strategy to reopening economic activity, we have seen a surge in the number of infections with Mpumalanga infections projected to peak in the latter parts of July 2020. This has necessitated the development of a strategy that will focus on the control and management of the exponential increase in the rate of infections” she said.
(edited by ZK)
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