KZN Health warns against mass gatherings
KwaZulu-Natal Health says anyone found in violation of the President's ban on public gatherings of a hundred people or more - will be dealt with.
Security clusters are ready to patrol and enforce the rule in public places.
Tough measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus were introduced at the beginning of the week - when a state of disaster was declared.
South Africa currently has 62 cases.
The Health MEC's been speaking about our province's plan to prevent transmissions.
Journalists in Durban asked Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu about how they're going to deal with long queues at places like clinics and other government departments.
"The security cluster is going to be part of enforcing and our environmental health people both at a provincial ad national level."
She says fake news is also spreading mass panic in KZN.
"We want to deal with the issue of fake news that is out there, because the fake news that is out in the open are creating a panic that is not necessary while we are asking our people to be calm and be able to deal with the matter."
READ: Scammers use coronavirus to trick fearful South Africans
Simelane-Zulu added that the department would take legal action against anyone who's tested positive for COVID-19 - but refuses to go into an isolation ward in hospital.
She says they have had some cases where the infected patients have refused to go into the State hospitals designated to deal with the virus.
"They believe they can self-isolate and self-quarantine, but the law empowers us to actually go to the judge for there to be a case. Should it come to that, we will be more than willing to do it."
