Health experts have warned that the introduction of stricter restrictions in Gauteng will not stem the alarming tide of Covid-19 infections driven by community outbreaks if people don't change their behaviour.
Tighter lockdown restrictions are being mooted in the province which is grappling with unprecedented levels of virus spread accounting for more than 60% of infections recorded across the country.
On Tuesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said he was “deeply worried” about what is happening in the province, adding that the government was considering imposing tighter lockdown restrictions.
“We are involved in a very, very serious situation in relation to the pandemic in Gauteng,” Ramaphosa said.
Gauteng premier David Makhura also expressed concern about the alarming resurgence in coronavirus infections, describing it as a “house on fire”.
There are growing fears that the province could reach the peak of the third wave of the pandemic in two weeks with hospitals that are full to the brim.
Dr Michelle Groome, head of public health surveillance and response at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, said while adjusting curfew time may assist in keeping people at home for longer, change of behaviour was more critical.
“Curbing the spread of the virus does depend to a great extent on the behaviour of individuals. Increasing restrictions which cannot be enforced will themselves not make a difference if people are not willing to change their behaviour,” Groome said.
Professor of vaccinology at Wits University Prof Shabir Madhi said the behaviour of people is key in the fight against the rapid spread of the pandemic in the province.
“The behaviour of people, more so largely in the absence of vaccination, has very much driven this resurgence, in particular indoor gatherings irrespective of size... especially in poorly ventilated spaces,” Madhi said.
Some of the identified Covid-19 hotspots include Johannesburg north, both inner cities of Pretoria and Johannesburg, as well as Randburg and Roodepoort.
There has also been an increase in hospital admissions, which has put a strain on the health system and resulted in the government roping in the services of military medics.
Dr Clare Cutland, a scientific co-ordinator at Wits African Leadership in Vaccinology, said Gauteng residents need to take responsibility for themselves and their family and friends, and reduce contact as much as possible.
Cutland said people need to be more vigilant now with masks, hand cleansing and “most importantly reduce social interaction, especially indoors and reduce eating out”.
By Tuesday, Gauteng had recorded 6,292 new cases in 24 hours with 5,252 people hospitalised in both public and private health facilities due to Covid-19.
Makhura said on Monday that 40% of the beds allocated for Covid-19 patients were in use. But if he included patients under investigation [people displaying symptoms but whose Covid-19 status is yet to be determined], then 72% of those beds were occupied.
“In two weeks’ time those beds will be full. Our first defence is to clear the beds. We do it with a rapid Test, which will take 15 minutes. Our second defence is to use every available space in hospitals for Covid-19 beds,” he said.
His spokesperson Vuyo Mhaga told Sowetan on Tuesday that the situation in the province was “unprecedented”. He said they were looking at all measures to contain the spread of the virus. He would not elaborate on what these measures were, saying the views would be taken to the national coronavirus command council.
The provincial command council met on Tuesday to consider steps to be taken to address the recent spike in positive infections.
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