South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s presidency confirmed on Wednesday that a staff member had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, reported Anadolu Agency.
“Public and staff access to the Union Buildings [seat of the government] is currently limited following the confirmation that a staff member has tested positive for COVID-19,” the South African presidency said in a statement.
The statement, however, did not mention the name of the staff member who got infected.
Khusela Diko, Presidency spokesperson, said the staff member showed an abnormally high temperature during a screening procedure at the Union Buildings. He said the employee was then directed to the internal medical centre where he tested positive for the virus. All staff and officials who may have come into contact with the person have been screened.
The South African Presidency said necessary steps have been taken in line with government’s guidelines on the management of COVID-19 cases to secure treatment for the relevant staff member and to provide support to the member’s family.
“Steps have also been taken to ensure that officials, who have contact with the staff member, are screened,” the presidency said in a statement.
The Presidency’s Pandemic Task Team had disinfected and deep cleaned all Presidency facilities. The entry to the Union Buildings has been made limited to exceptional interactions.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is unlikely to have been affected as he has not been near the buildings for weeks now. The statement confirmed that the President and Deputy President have been working remotely and not from the Union Buildings since the start of lockdown.
South Africa has reported one of the highest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the African continent. The number of cases now stands at 7808, with 153 deaths recorded so far and 3,153 recoveries as of Wednesday. A total of 279,379 tests have been conducted to date.
