COVID-19 positive man arrested in Limpopo after fleeing Gauteng
The Limpopo Department of Health, working with SAPS, has arrested a man who tested for COVID-19 in Gauteng and instead of self-quarantining left the province and traveled to Limpopo where he interacted with other people.
Limpopo Health MEC, Phophi Ramathuba says the man's test results came out positive and tracer teams in Gauteng struggled to locate him until he was found in Limpopo.
"The Health Department acted swiftly to have the man arrested and taken into isolation," says Ramathuba.
Ramathuba says her department will not hesitate to take in anyone who breaks the rules.
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"Being an under-resourced province, the only way we can win this battle is to ensure that those who must be screened and tested do so, and those who must self-quarantine and isolate also do so. Those who fail to observe these basics and expose our communities to danger will be taken in," says Ramathuba.
The MEC says her department is worried that her department might have its hands full dealing with the potential of imported cases like these ones of people who deliberately ignored the call to lockdown.
"The movement of people between provinces will obviously bear consequences, as we have said. We just have to be prepared to fight hard because for now there is nothing we can do about it, it is what it is," said Ramathuba.
More arrests are expected on individuals who fail to self-quarantine and isolate, she added.