Staff Reporter
Premier Sisi Ntombela has made an impassioned plea to the residents of the Free State to stay at home as authorities battle to contain the spread of COVID-19 which has since claimed one life in the province.
“In the Free Sate, we have 86 people that have tested positive,” Ntombela said during a media briefing at the Universitas Academic Hospital on Thursday night.
“And out of the 86, about 77 of them are from Mangaung, particularly Bloemfontein, and it’s 14 days to go. So, I just want to appeal to our people, especially in Bloemfontein, please stay at home,” she said in an emotional appeal for compliance during the 21-day national lockdown.
The latest figures, announced by Health Minister Zweli Mkhize during his visit to Universitas Hospital to check its readiness for the pandemic, indicate that Mangaung makes up 89.5 percent of the confirmed COVID-19 cases in the province.
The national figure for confirmed cases now stands at 1 462 with a total of five deaths.
Universitas Hospital says it is ready to handle cases of the coronavirus which may be referred to the medical institution as it has set aside 70 beds to accommodate patients.
