CAPE TOWN - New patterns have emerged of local Covid-19 transmissions being driven by supermarkets in the Western Cape. So far, four supermarkets have been closed as a result of confirmed cases. The Western Cape Department of Health is meeting with supermarket groups on Friday.
Pick ‘n Pay in Waterstone Village, Somerset West. Shoprite in Botasig and Athlone. And Checkers in Bayside Mall, Table View have all closed due to confirmed cases.
Head of the Health Department in the Western Cape, Dr. Keith Cloete, urged supermarkets in the province to ramp up their safety measures and the public to only go to stores when they have no other choice.
During a physically distant press conference on Thursday. Cloete said they could see a pattern emerging "We can really see a pattern that has emerged over the last week [is] a lot of our cases that we found [are] new has been through supermarkets”.
Cloete has asked the province to reduce the frequency of supermarket visits and to follow Covid-19 safety regulations like washing hands and wearing a mask in public. And to also avoid gatherings with others at supermarkets while the lockdown is in effect.
After observing the measures supermarkets are doing to reduce the spread of the virus. The provincial health department will meet with supermarket groups today to discuss safety measures further.
Cloete went on to add; “We are meeting with supermarket chains and independent providers to take them through a set of guidelines to strictly observe the rules of the lockdown”.
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