The Eastern Cape government has been criticised for poor handling of the Covid-19 outbreak and failing to communicate statistics on a daily basis.
This has led to fake news spreading on social media, which has created confusion and stigmatisation of the virus.
Now, the Emalahleni municipality has encroached on the health department’s responsibilities by announcing that some of the people admitted to Glen Grey Hospital in Cacadu after testing positive for the coronavirus had been discharged.
Under-fire health MEC Sindiswa Gomba said they were shocked when the local authority released a statement at the weekend announcing that 14 of 16 people had been given a clean bill of health after being under quarantine.
“They had no role in announcing positive and negative cases from their area. They did not communicate this with us and we are the department monitoring this situation.
“There was a misunderstanding. They were also not supposed to announce the details of these patients when they were admitted,” Gomba told DispatchLIVE on Tuesday.
By law, no municipality is authorised to announce Covid-19 details, Gomba said.
For more of the story, go to DispatchLIVE
BY:BHONGO JACOB
SOURCE:DispatchLIVE