Qoboshiyane commends Bay’s efforts to curb infections

Bhisho legislature deputy speaker Mlibo Qoboshiyane has commended the efforts of the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the city.

Qoboshiyane  made the comments after visiting the Ziyabuya Mall, in Kwadwesi, where municipal environmental health officials were disinfecting the centre.

He later visited a temporary shelter for the homeless.

A delegation from the municipality, including speaker of council Buyelwa Mafaya and public health portfolio head Yolisa Pali, were in attendance.

Pali said the disinfection of the mall was not the first project of its type to contain the virus’s spread in the Bay,  but was being used as the official launch of such projects.

Qoboshiyane said: “The most important thing for us is to reduce the viral load, which is why we said all public spaces must be disinfected.

“Even if people meet for their different reasons the rate at which people infect one another needs to be reduced.

“We are still under lockdown — people must stop travelling for no reason up until April 21.”

Qoboshiyane then made his way to the Daku Hall, in Kwazakhele, which is being used  as a temporary shelter for homeless people.

There he encouraged people to abide by the rules to curb the transmission rate.

“There is no time to argue — the world is in a crisis  — but we must thank this municipality ... for saying when there was a virus of this magnitude you were all collected under this roof,” Qoboshiyane said.

Pali said: “Ours [our job] is to prevent the virus from spreading so that we don’t have to worry about curing the sick.”

Bongiwe Ntlokwana, who works at Ziyabuya Mall, said she felt happy and safer knowing the mall had been disinfected.  

She said the shopping centre had been  packed during the panic-buying unleashed by the announcement of the lockdown and on  days when social grants were paid out.