Pretoria News Weekend Saturday, July 4, 2020

WE ARE AT RISK! Gauteng becomes the new epicentre STAFF REPORTERS JACQUES NAUDE African News Agency (ANA) IF YOU are planning to go out and about in Gauteng this weekend to meet family and friends, take care as you are at greater risk of contracting the coronavirus than if you stay home. One hundred days in and lockdown level 3 regulations have been amended to allow more fun activities. But this is not an indication that the peak of the pandemic has passed or a licence to resume your pre-lockdown social life. Far from it: the minister of health warns of a spike in infections in the weeks ahead with concerns echoed by Premier David Makhura who said on Thursday the Covid-19 storm has arrived in Gauteng, which now…

It’s up to us to stay safe NTANDO MAKHUBU ntando.makhubu@inl.co.za AS Gauteng becomes the new epicentre of Covid-19 infections, calls have been made for collaborative behavioural change to flatten the curve. Premier David Makhura has outlined the risk if the province’s 15 million residents fail to adhere to regulations, with speculation over alcohol sales being limited further. With people talking on social media about protecting themselves, their families and those around them from infection, moves for behavioural change have entered the conversation. Many are now saying the time has come to call out those who do not follow the rules, such as not wearing a mask in public or not wearing it properly. This was the way to go, behavioural expert Professor Martin Tetlow of Centurion said, referring to the…

Too soon for children to go back to school – teacher unions STAFF REPORTER THE increased risk of infection led to Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga’s announcement this week that only Grades R, 6, and 11 would return to school on Monday – joining Grades 7 and 12 who returned on June 8 – with other grades to be phased in later. Originally, the plan was for Grades 1,2,3 and 10 to also go back next week with the other grades on August 3. Teacher unions, Sadtu and Naptosa, slammed the decision to allow a second batch of schoolchildren to return on Monday as some schools were still struggling with the first batch. Naptosa’s Basil Manuel said they pleaded with the department not to allow more grades to go…

Restaurants rise to the challenge LIAM NGOBENI liam.ngobeni@inl.co.za JACQUES NAUDE FIERCE competition and new social norms are likely to change the face of hospitality as hotels, guest houses and restaurants resume service under strict new government regulations. This is according to Robyn Christie, a consultant in the travel and hospitality industry, who said maintaining the trust of patrons and employees had never been more significant than it is now in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. “Many hospitality enterprises that have survived lockdown so far now need to have a long, hard look at their operating models to make sure their businesses remain sustainable, with the new requirements,” she said. “We have seen some truly inspiring innovations from certain restaurants recently in response to this new era of Covid-consciousness.” She…

City home for aged hit by deaths, infections STAFF REPORTER THREE residents of the Jaffa Home for Jewish Aged in Pretoria who tested positive for Covid-19 have died, and nine are being treated in hospital. According to a report in the South African Jewish Report, Covid-19 has had a big impact on Jewish homes for the aged, with 27 cases in the large Chevrah Kadisha care facilities in Johannesburg and nine at Highlands House in Cape Town. The Jaffa residents who died in the past week are Shirley Vardi, 92, Eddie Karp, 87, and Selma Abro, 93. They were three of 26 Jaffa residents who tested positive two weeks ago out of 79 residents. Eleven out of 88 staff members have also tested positive, the report said as the home’s…

The Brief A TIPPLE, A TATTLE A UNIQUE SOLUTION TO THE COVID BATTLE WHILE scientists work frantically to find a cure for Covid-19, some South Africans think they have a cure in a popular tipple. On a winter’s night little warms you up from the inside quite like a glass of sherry, but rumour has it that it not only does that, it can kill the virus. Talk of this “miracle cure” started with a voice note that circulated via WhatsApp after a woman in the Eastern Cape claimed her son had been “cured” after drinking Old Brown Sherry. In the voice note, a woman says her child, who had the virus, was brought a small bottle in hospital. The child drank the sherry and by the next day he…