Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has called on every citizen to protect themselves against Covid-19. Mabuyane said the relaxation of the regulations did not mean that the war against the virus had been won.
As per the latest results from the Health Ministry, Eastern Cape has recorded 26 195 Covid-19 cases with a total of 397 coronavirus-related deaths.
"As of Monday, our province screened about 2.5 million people, tested 157 384 people for the coronavirus. Out this number, 26 195 tested positive for the coronavirus," he said.
Mabuyane said the number of positive cases continues to increase in the province. He said this could be attributed to the changes in lockdown levels.
"The number of deaths also increased in six districts except in Alfred Nzo and Joe Gqabi districts. The number of recoveries also continue to increase but are confounded by the rapid increase of cases which were reported since the beginning of June," he said.
Mabuyane said in the beginning of the outbreak in the Eastern Cape, infections increased from funerals.
"We appreciate the ongoing compliance by the people of our province with the limited numbers of people attending funerals. We also make a special plea to the people of our province not to congest in towns. We defeated this during the payment of social grants. If we can achieve this during the payment of these grants, surely we can do it daily," he said.
Mabuyane urged people to continue to adhere to social distancing.
"Every one of us must abide by the regulations that have been published by government and must take this virus very serious. While these are trying and troubling times for our province and our people, each and every one of us has a responsibility to play our part by protecting ourselves, those we love and our community," he said.
He added that the country was approaching the peak of the virus and called on residents to wear cloth masks.