Tag: South Africa

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, September 4, 2020/ -- As of 1pm on 3 September, the Western Cape has 3272 active cases of COVID-19, with a total of 105 552 confirmed cases and 98 339 recoveries.  Total confirmed COVID-19 cases105 552Total recoveries98 339Total deaths3941Total active cases (currently infected patients)3272Tests conducted486372Hospitalisations776 with 159 in ICU or high care Cape Metro Sub-districts:   Sub-districtCasesRecoveriesWestern9243 8699Southern9518 8831Northern65996246Tygerberg13130 12387Eastern10015 9360Klipfontein9064 8305Mitchells Plain8499 7973Khayelitsha8249 7756Total7431769557 Sub-districts:   District Sub-districtCasesRecoveriesGarden RouteBitou579534Garden RouteKnysna13701275Garden Rou...

NEW YORK, United States of America -- UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on governments to incorporate “meaningful” climate action in all aspects of recovery from the global pandemic.Addressing ministers at a virtual meeting on sustainable recovery from COVID-19 on Thursday, the UN chief said that the world is confronting two urgent crises: COVID-19 and climate change. “Let us tackle both and leave future generations with the hope that this moment is a true turning point for people and planet,” he said, in a video message. The ministerial meeting, convened by the Government of Japan, saw the participation of senior officials from several countries, as well as representatives from youth groups, civil society organizations, businesses and local governments. In parallel, an onl...

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, September 2, 2020/ -- The Select Committee on Education and Technology, Sports, Arts and Culture was today briefed by the Department of Basic Education on the status of the reopening of schools and a revised school calendar, following a four-month break due to the Covid-19 lockdown. The committee welcomed reports that all grades have since returned to school following a phased-in reopening approach, as well as a comprehensive catch-up plan by the department to try make up for lost teaching and learning time due to the lockdown.The committee was, however, concerned about the disruption of schooling, often by disgruntled community members who were against the decision to reopen schools, claiming the reopening of schools will expose learners to Covid-19.“We are wo...

PRETORIA, South Africa, August 22, 2020/ -- To this end, the department has an Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) workstream as part of the Incident Management Team, which focusses specifically on managing significant outbreaks, in the current case, the COVID-19 outbreak. The OHS workstream has members from all provinces, trade unions, academic institutions, and professional bodies. Working together, these members draft and provide guidelines for health and safety interventions as well as training of healthcare workers through the National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH). There are OHS Coordinators at provincial Departments of Health and OHS Committees at provincial, district and facility levels in line with the provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, ...

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, August 21, 2020/ -- The Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy was briefed by Mintek and the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), Mr Gwede Mantashe, on the entity’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The committee then welcomed the presentation, and expressed its appreciation for the good work that Mintek is doing. The entity has repurposed its programmes and facilities since the declaration of Covid-19 as the National State of Disaster to develop capacity and produce 4 000 litres of surface and hand sanitizers per week. The products are only utilised by employees of Mintek and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE).However, Mintek is currently working on increasing production capacity in order to commercially supply...