Staff Reporter
OR Tambo House, the building that houses the office of Free State premier, has been evacuated after an official tested positive for COVID-19.
It could not be immediately established if the employee, who works on the first floor of the building, had been in contact with Premier Sisi Ntombela in recent days.
Setjhaba Maphalla from the Office of the Premier told The Free Stater in a brief telephone interview that this can only be confirmed upon the completion of contact tracing.
“At this point we can’t say whether the employee has been in contact with the premier or not because contact tracing has only started,” he said.
“Contact tracing started as soon as the building was evacuated, so let’s wait for that to unfold.
“We can’t make a conclusive statement at the moment.
“The employee does not work on the same floor with the premier.”
The building will be decontaminated between now and Wednesday.
All employees have been advised to return to work Thursday.
It is anticipated that contact tracing and screening will be completed by then.
The building also accommodates some employees of the departments of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Public Works and Infrastructure as well as Human Settlements.
In an earlier statement, Maphalla said a Thusong Service Centre employee in Trompsburg, Xhariep District, also tested positive for COVID-19.
The two cases follow the temporary closure of the Fidel Castro Building, which also houses government offices in Bloemfontein city centre, after an official who works for the Department of Education tested positive for the acute respiratory disease.
The Fidel Castro Building houses some employees of the Office of the Premier, Public Works and Infrastructure, Education and the Provincial Treasury.