Western Cape: Garden Route Passed its Peak

The Western Cape government has announced that the Garden Route district has passed its COVID-19 peak and that the rate of infections are now on a significant decline in the area.

According to Keith Cloete, the provincial Head of Department for Health, this is despite most districts in the Western Cape remaining hotspots and recording significant infection numbers.

The Western Cape is among four provinces that have been identified as driving the second wave of COVID-19 infections in South Africa, the other being Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape.

Cloete also explained that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will be deployed in the Western Cape as the province prepares for another COVID-19 peak this week.

This comes as the country has recorded what Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has called the “grim milestone” of over 20 000 new cases identified in a 24 hour period.

This brings the total number of cases to 1 149 591, and 31 368 have succumbed to the virus, while 929 239 have recovered.