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Featured

WHO warns world to be cautious as Wuhan lifts lockdown

April 8, 2020 By Skylar Thoma

By Skylar Thoma

MAIN IMAGE: Scattered people walk about a park in Wuhan, China. The city in which the coronavirus epidemic began is now relaxing its lockdown measures. SOURCE: Pexels

After more than two months under a strict lockdown, Wuhan, the city where coronavirus was first reported, is finally beginning to relax restrictions on movement. 

On Monday (6 April) China reported no new cases of the coronavirus, and announced on Wednesday that it was easing the tight controls it had put in place in Wuhan. 

But as promising as the news seems, the World Health Organization (WHO) is warning other countries not to be too hasty in relaxing their measures to combat the epidemic.

Reuters reported on Tuesday that WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said there is a possibility of the virus resurging if restrictions are loosened too quickly.

“It’s similar to being sick yourself,” he explained to reporters during a virtual press briefing. “If you get out of bed too early and get running too early you risk falling back and having complications”.

https://twitter.com/xinyanyu/status/1247684977174732803

The city of Wuhan had been under a strict lockdown since January 23. Residents are now allowed to travel outside their residential compounds, although schools remain closed and some travel restrictions remain in place. 

In several other countries where lockdown measures are in place, rates of increase in infection numbers appear to be tapering.  The Washington Post reports that among these, New Zealand’s numbers are low. Rates of increase in Italy and Spain are also reported to be flattening.

Some countries are hoping to follow China’s lead and begin relaxing lockdown measures. Denmark hopes to phase out its lockdown if the number of cases can stabilise by Easter, according to Reuters. 

But in other countries, authorities are cautious about making promises. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters on Tuesday that no decision had yet been made about lifting or extending the country’s nationwide lockdown. The administration is waiting on a scientific report on the effectiveness of the lockdown before making a final decision, according to News24. 

US President Donald Trump had raised the possibility of reopening the country in late March, but has since walked back his suggestion as the country is undergoing a surge of new cases and deaths.

Many countries are becoming increasingly worried about the economic fallout from the pandemic. But WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that the economic damage will be far worse if lockdown measures are lifted too quickly, reports CNBC.

“Ultimately the best way for countries to end restrictions and ease their economic effects is to attack the virus”, he said.

Experts interviewed by Nature magazine believe that if China can end its lockdown without a resurgence of the virus, other countries may follow suit. But for now, health experts say, countries need to stay vigilant and watch for a second wave.

Featured

Courts rejects shackdwellers petition to stop demolitions

April 8, 2020 By Ainsley Ash

MAIN PHOTO: Abhalali has lost a bid to have demolitions halted in parts of Durban. This photo of a demolished shack was posted by the group on its Facebook page.

By Ainsley Ash

Shackdweller movement Abahlali baseMjondolo has expressed its disappointment after the Durban High Court rejected an application to stop the eviction of shackdwellers by eThekwini authorities – despite claims by Abahlali that the action was illegal. 

Abahlali approached the court after multiple incidents of shack demolitions in the Ekuphumeleleni and Azania areas of the city. 

Abahlali says the recent evictions in these settlements were conducted without court orders and resulted in the serious injuries of residents. The city’s land invasion unit, however, argued that it had only targeted and demolished shacks that were unoccupied.  

While evictions are suspended for the duration of the Covid-19 lockdown, action against “land invasions” and the demolition of “unoccupied shacks” are not. 

A statement by Abahlali said the group had been prepared to present evidence such as photographs and affidavits that could prove long-term residence but the evidence had been rejected.

The statement revealed that High Court Judge Mohini Moodley had asked the representatives of the eThekwini Municipality and Abahalili to discuss the matter to find a solution on their own. Abahalali had asked that the shak=ckdwellers should be allowed to rebuild on the same piece of land. The city had denied the request, said the organisation.

Instead, the city had offered the use of alternative accommodation in emergency camps at the Durban Exhibition Centre and in Pinetown, created to accommodate the homeless during the Covid-19 crisis. 

Abahali members rejected the offer, fearing that they would not later be able to return to the contested land. They also expressed concern about their ability to practice social distancing and ensure their safety while living in these camps. 

“We cannot accept that people can be subject to state violence or made homeless under any circumstances, but state violence and evictions became particularly urgent during this time of a worldwide health crisis in which impoverished people are most at risk,” said Abahali.

A photo of a demolished shack posted by Abahlali on 29 March. (Abahlili baseMjondolo on Facebook)

Durban Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda told Ground Up, “Covid-19 does not mean that there must be a holiday in respecting the laws of the country… We are a caring municipality and have mobilised resources to provide shelter to more than 4,000 homeless people.”

He said that the city had worked hard to meet the needs of its housing insecure residents.

Featured

Funerals during a pandemic

April 8, 2020 By Ayinde Summey

By Ayinde Summey

MAIN IMAGE: The burial of a coronavirus victim in Saudi Arabia. Source: @MedinahDate

As the global coronavirus pandemic has affected many parts of our lives, death rituals across cultures have not been spared.  

Countries like the United States have banned funeral gatherings to prevent virus transmission, while other countries such as the UK potentially looking to do the same. In South Africa funerals are still allowed but the number of mourners has been restricted and only certain categories of people related to the deceased may attend.  

Across the world there is concern about the numbers of mourners gathering to attend services. Social distancing measures are making the events stressful for families.

The BBC reports that this has prompted former Welsh lawmaker Lorraine Barrett to suggest a ban on funeral services in Wales. There the enforcement of social distancing has required that mourners keep at least 2 meters from one another. She believes that this is difficult to achieve at a funeral. 

Former Welsh Assembly Member Lorraine Barrett

Barrett told the broadcaster that while the limits imposed by various crematoriums and funeral parlours have been put in place to facilitate gatherings, the social distancing measures mean that people are not able to get the comfort they need as they grieve.

Current guidelines allow only immediate family member to be in attendance but Barrett questioned how this could be determined and who would be allowed to attend.

“I’ve dealt with families with 10 siblings, 25 grandchildren, and I’ve heard of families now who are having to decide which members of their family can go and it’s really, really distressing,” Barrett told the BBC.

In Iraq and other countries in the Arab world, burial procedures have been drastically altered.  

In normal circumstances, the bodies of the deceased would be washed and prepared by community members. This goes against World Health Organization guidelines which advise against physical contact.  

It has also been difficult to find places to conduct burials because of anxiety about contamination of corpses and possible virus transmission. The family members of people who have died of other causes are resisting burials of COVID-19 victims in the same site as their loved ones. This has resulted in delays on arranging the burials. 

“It look eight days to get the body of my father from the morgue” Abdul-Hadi Majid, an Iraqi soldier who were among a group that were forced to wait. 

Featured

President puts South Africa’s minister of communications on leave

April 8, 2020 By Laura Peterjohn

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has moved swiftly to discipline his Minister of Communications, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, for violating the country’s coronavirus regulations.

On Sunday, Ndabeni-Abrahams was pictured in a post on the former deputy minister of higher education Mduduzi Manana’s Instagram page, enjoying a lunch with her husband at his home, directly contravening the government’s efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

First shared by @MDUMANANA on instagram

Manana is a controversial figure who was previously in the public eye when he was caught on video assaulting a woman in a Johannesburg nightclub. Recently he has been preparing to start a YouTube ‘connoisseur real estate show’. A publicity video for the show which is to due air from July shows him in his home has been shared on social media.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1yLY91HDFE&feature=youtu.be

This prompted many South Africans to call for action to be taken against her. On Wednesday President Ramaphosa revealed that after meeting with Ndabeni-Abrahams, he had asked her to take a two month leave of absence, one month of which is to be unpaid. 

President @CyrilRamaphosa has placed Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Ms Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams on special leave for two months – one month of which will be unpaid. https://t.co/qmyZIN75Ky

— The Presidency 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) April 8, 2020

Ndabeni-Abrahams was also directed by Ramaphosa to address the nation and issue a formal apology. 

In a short video she released in the course of the day, the minister asked South Africans to forgive her and apologised to the President and to the nation at large, and urged them to obey the regulations.

However, some South Africans are saying the punishment is no more than a slap on the wrist and is not enough. Many have taken to social media to call for her arrest, arguing that she breached lockdown regulations and must face the same punishment as ordinary citizens have faced for doing so.

In response to calls for Ndabeni-Abrahams to face the law, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Khusela Diko, said, “As to allegations that the minister violated the lockdown regulations, the law should take its course”. 

EFF National Spokesperson @vuyanipambo at Douglasdale Police Station laying criminal charges against Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams and Mduduzi Manana for breaching lockdown regulations as stipulated by government. pic.twitter.com/RxRrxiUtqs

— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) April 8, 2020

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has filed a criminal complaint against Ndabeni-Abrahams, and has called for her to be removed from the cabinet. 

Featured

New US Covid statistics suggest communities of color hit hardest by virus

April 7, 2020 By Renny Simone

By Renny Simone

MAIN PHOTO: A map of the United States, with red circles indicating Covid hotspots (Martin Sanchez on Unsplash)

New data suggest that the coronavirus, which has been described by some as ‘the great equaliser’ due to its virtually universal impact, is not as egalitarian as it first appeared. Factors like race and class are increasingly being recognized as having a significant impact on how – and how badly – people are affected by the virus. 

Statistics from the US are beginning to show Covid-19’s disproportionate impact on Americans of color. In Chicago, where 30% of the population is black, African Americans account for more than half of reported cases and nearly 70% of deaths, according to data reported by The Hill. Statistics published by the Louisiana Department of Health tell a similar story: black Louisianans make up less than a third of the state’s population, but account for more than 70% of Covid-related deaths.

Steven Thomas, director of the Center for Health Equity at the University of Maryland, has warned against ignoring race in coronavirus interventions.

“With a colorblind policy — ‘Hey, we’re all in this together’ — we’ll be left with an explosion of Covid-19 concentrated in racial and ethnic minority communities”, Thomas told Politico.

Demographic data from the national epicenter of the outbreak appear to supports Thomas’ view. Two of New York City’s hardest-hid neighborhoods, Corona and Elmhurst, Queens, have large communities of color, according to the 2010 census.

However, neither New York City nor New York State have released race-based data on coronavirus infections – a fact that has drawn criticism from some activists and officials.

In a letter addressed to Mayor Bill de Blasio, NYC Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams called on the city to “make all data on testing, including disaggregated by race, available to the public.”

Without race-based data, he wrote, it will be impossible to design policy that helps those at greatest risk of contracting the virus. “Tracking and publishing this data is critical to facilitating the allocation and distribution of resources to the areas most in need.”

But the issue is bigger than the immediate crisis, experts of health equity have pointed out. “A pandemic just magnifies the disparities in health care that many communities of color face,” Dr. Summer Johnson McGee, dean of the School of Health Sciences at the University of New Haven, told Reuters. 

Ibram Kendi, Director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University, pointed to other complicating factors – including mass incarceration, homelessness, and undocumented status – that put people of color at higher risk. The “racial pandemic within the viral pandemic”, Kendi explained in The Atlantic, reflected and reproduced race-based inequalities in America.

“Sometimes racial data tell us something we don’t know. Other times we need racial data to confirm something we already seem to know,” he said.

As experts call on the government to make race a focus of response efforts, the debate has made its way to social media. Madonna was roundly criticized for calling coronavirus ‘the great equaliser’ in a video she filmed from her rose-petaled bathtub. 

One Twitter user blamed “environmental racism” for the disproportionate death rates of black Chicagoans. 

There’s no way to explain why 70% of Coronavirus patients dying in Chicago are BLACK except for environmental racism.

— 🌸Lori Lightfoot Is A Cop🌸 (@606hoodlum) April 6, 2020

Another called “systemic racism … a matter of life and death.”

https://twitter.com/HawaiiDelilah/status/1247609355119124481

New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, who covers racial injustice, agreed. “When Covid-19 first hit America hard last month, the narrative was that it was the great equalizer,” she said, in the first tweet of a longer thread. “But those of us who understand racial caste in America knew this could never be true.”

https://twitter.com/nhannahjones/status/1247176506452905986

Health & Science

Lockdown affects weddings in KZN and Western Cape

April 7, 2020 By Ayinde Summey

By Ayinde Summey

MAIN IMAGE: Police escort a bride to a waiting police van after they arrested her for breaking the coronavirus regulations at her wedding in Richards Bay at the weekend. The image has been widely shared on social media. Source: Twitter.

What was supposed to be a joyous wedding celebrated under the year-round South African sun turned into a catastrophe with the arrest of the entire wedding party of 53 people in Richards Bay at the weekend. 

The couple were arrested after they were reported anonymously to the police for breaking the mandatory government regulations governing social distancing during the nationwide shutdown due to COVID-19.  

This is the second time a wedding party has been broken up by police in the KwaZulu Natal province since the start of the lockdown. The couple was in the middle of declaring their vows when several heavily armed police officers arrived.  

The police are under instruction to arrest those violating the government’s orders to stay at home.  

At the previous incident, at a considerably larger event, the police arrived after the vows ceremony and just as the party was about to eat. In this instance, the police asked the crowd to disperse and arrested only the bride and groom, who were fined R1000. 

Other prospective brides and grooms have been making sure they don’t similarly face the long arm of the law.  

In Cape Town, one couple went through with their big day anyway – but with a difference. They exchanged vows with cardboard cutout figures to serve as “guests” while their dog acted as the ring-bearer.  

Dan Mace surprised his fiancee Gabi Esterhuizen with a home vows ceremony on the day they should have been married – attended by a number of cardboard ‘guests’. Source: Dan Mace YouTube

The groom, Dan Mace, had contracted coronavirus on a trip to the US and had been quarantined before the wedding.

He and fiancee Gabi Esterhuizen had hoped to find a way to have a ceremony despite the government’s orders but realised they would have to postpone. So Mace decided to surprise Esterhuizen with an alternative ceremony in their garden, sharing their big moment on YouTube.  

Mace told the Cape Times he was not against the restrictions.  

“I think that our president as well as the supporting organisations have taken bold but well needed steps to ensure that we beat this virus, but that can only happen if we work together and follow the rules,”  he said.

The couple still plans to have a formal wedding with their original guests in December and they will take the extra time to finetune their long-delayed ceremony for the summer. 

Featured

Great Barrier Reef experiences largest bleaching event in five years

April 7, 2020 By Ainsley Ash

by Ainsley Ash

MAIN PHOTO: Coral bleaching occurs when the coral turns white as a stress response to warm water temperatures. The effect is visible in this photo of coral in Keppel Bay, on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. (Arc Centre for Excellence in Coral Reef Studies)

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has just experienced its most massive coral bleaching event on record, according to a new study.  

Four mass bleaching events have occured in the area previously – in 1998, 2002, 2016 and in 2017

The scientists from the ARC Centre for Excellence in Coral Reef Studies who conducted the research noted that while the 2016 and 2017 bleaching events were severe, they were concentrated in a relatively small area. The 2020 bleaching event, however, has struck all three regions of the reef – northern, central, and for the first-time, southern sections. 

The study detailed the differing degrees of major bleaching events which have been prompted by unprecedented rises in ocean temperatures. (ARC Centre for Excellence of Coral Reef Studies)

Coral bleaching occurs when the corals turn white as a stress response to warm water temperatures. While the bleaching does not immediately kill the coral, sustained high temperatures could lead to permanent death of the reefs which are living organisms made up of thousands of small creatures called polyps who live symbiotically in a marine community.

Of the five events so far, only two, 1998 and 2016, were associated with El Niño – a climate phenomenon that can increase the chances of extreme weather patterns. Higher average summer temperatures due to climate change could mean that El Niño is no longer necessary to trigger these events, according to scientists. 

As the bleaching events occur closer and closer together, the coral has less time to recover fully. 

This year in February, the reef experienced the highest monthly sea surface temperatures ever recorded by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. The unprecedented temperatures continued into March, prompting extensive coral bleaching warnings. 

In the weeks following the record breaking temperatures, Terry Hughes,  Director of the ARC Centre for Excellence in Coral Reef Studies, and a team from the Great Barrier Marine Park Authority conducted an aerial survey of the over 1,000 reefs. What Hughes saw, he said, is an ‘utter tragedy’.

In an article published by The Conversation, Hughes writes, “The Great Barrier Reef will continue to lose corals from heat stress, until global emissions of greenhouse gasses are reduced to net zero, and sea temperatures stabilise.”

Scientists have warned that the loss of the Great Barrier Reef would have severe consequences for the marine life that depends on it, creating even greater threats to the Earth’s dwindling biodiversity. The reef is home to more than 1,500 species of  fish and 400 types of hard coral. 

Without urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, coral reefs would not survive, said Hughes. 

I'm not sure I have the fortitude to do this again. It's heartbreaking to see the #GreatBarrierReef decline so fast. pic.twitter.com/LHgP5cIAQW

— Terry Hughes (@ProfTerryHughes) April 7, 2020

Featured

Government officials face questioning after breaking social distancing guidelines

April 7, 2020 By Laura Peterjohn

By Laura Peterjohn

MAIN PHOTO: South African Minister of Communications Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams is in trouble after this photo was posted on Instagram by her former colleague Mduduzi Manana, showing her apparently enjoying a social call at his home in the midst of the coronavirus lockdown. SOURCE @MDUMANANA on Instagram

As police crack down on South Africans, in some cases using violence to enforce the strict lockdown guidelines imposed by the government, at least one top government official has shown little regard for the measures in place.

South African Minister of Communications, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, is to be summoned to meet with President Cyril Ramaphosa after being exposed for breaking the government issued lockdown. 

South African Minister of Communications, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams

Ndabeni-Abrahams was pictured in an Instagram post uploaded by disgraced former deputy minister Mduduzi Manana, which showed the pair enjoying a luncheon with several other people. In the post Manana thanks Ndabeni-Abrahams for the work she has been doing to keep the country functioning during the nationwide lockdown. 

Manana has since attempted to explain away the gathering, issuing a public statement to say that Ndabeni-Abrahams had been visiting his home on official business and was therefore not braking any of the lockdown rules. He aopologized for creating the impression it was a “social lunch”.

However his statement has been meet with heavy criticism and there have been several calls for Ramaphosa to take action against his minister for this direct breach of government orders. 

LIES. He must read his caption again. He clearly states that she was done with her duties for the day. He must really think South Africa is stupid. https://t.co/iH9Yi7VQkt

— Phumzile Van Damme (@zilevandamme) April 7, 2020

Ramaphosa issued a statement saying that he had seen the picture and had called for a meeting with Ndabeni-Abrahams to further discuss the optics of the situation.

“We are trying to install a clear message to all our people that social distance is important. Let us stay at home. Let us not be going around with visitations. And if you have to, it must be work-related,” he said.

Ndabeni-Abrahams is not the only government official who has been caught breaking guidelines imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Scotland’s chief medical officer, Catherine Calderwood, has been forced to step down after she visited her second home – twice – contradicting the guidance she herself had issued to the public, advising them to stay at home, reported The Guardian.

Chief medical officer of Scotland, Catherine Calderwood

In New Zealand, Health Minister David Clark is in trouble after he took his family on two outings – once to the beach, and once to a mountain trail ride – breaching his country’s social distancing guidelines.

David Clark, New Zealand’s Minister of Health

The BBC reported that Clark offered his resignation, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declined due to the ongoing crisis. She has, however, demoted him and withdrawn his seniority in her cabinet.

Laura Peterjohn

7 ways to feed your creative need while staying locked indoors

April 7, 2020 By Skylar Thoma

By Lizzie Stricklin and Skylar Thoma

Creativity is blooming on the internet as people around the world are being inspired to take up artistic challenges from wherever they find themselves in lockdown.

An explosion of online content, from silly social media challenges, to museums and universities sharing their resources, is giving people a way to stay sane during these trying times. Here are just seven ways the artistic and creative world has continued to shine during these turbulent times.

Recreating the Classics

The Getty Museum in Los Angeles took to Twitter this month to encourage fans of visual art to recreate their favourite paintings using only three items found around the house. Although some of the participating photos used more than three items, they all have produced creative takes on paintings from Jan van Eyck to Pablo Picasso. Here are some of our favourite DIY creations:

Here's my photo for the @GettyMuseum challenge #BetweenArtandQuarantine pic.twitter.com/RYGzCVT2WY

— Santiago Olarte Valencia (@SantiOlarteV) April 1, 2020
https://twitter.com/chuubasti/status/1246142344048439296

Had to take part in the @GettyMuseum challenge to recreate a work of art. Chose Saint Mary Magdalene at the Sepulchre by Savoldo because it seemed the coziest one. #betweenartandquarantine #artchallenge pic.twitter.com/wJBOE5qA0n

— Frl. Fräskante (@fraskante) April 1, 2020

Exploring Museums from the Couch

Let's enjoy the virtual tour of Raphael's Rooms, offered by the Vatican Museums 👉 https://t.co/8jf3Y6OnC7#Raffaello500 #Italycomestoyou #TreasureItaly pic.twitter.com/oBD2Zb6oJu

— Italia.it (@Italia) April 6, 2020
The Vatican Museums now offer virtual tours of their exhibits, including one of Raphael’s Rooms.

Although many museums have been forced to close their doors for the foreseeable future, museums from around the world have moved some of their exhibits online in partnership with Google Arts & Culture. Visitors can view the collections as an online gallery, and, if the museum has the technology, take a virtual reality tour of the museum. Over 2,000 museum collections from six continents have added their exhibits so far.

Taking a Seat – Or Creating One

On March 18, Spanish designer Max Enrich started an Instagram challenge encouraging followers to craft little #isolationchairs out of miscellaneous household items. In the past three weeks, this challenge has taken off, with posts displaying hundreds of pint-sized creations made from items ranging from matches to breakfast sandwiches circulating the internet. Here are some of our favourites:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-g5Llgiwem/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Y971PDi3z/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-KHuNbgEwN/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Bringing the Theatre to the Living Room

The lights may have been dimmed, but the show must go on! Broadway and West End theatres, as well as some regional theatres, have released pro-shots of plays and musicals that theatre fans around the world can watch for free or with a small donation. Andrew Lloyd Weber himself has started a YouTube channel dubbed The Shows Must Go On, through which a different Weber musical recording will premiere every Friday.

IT’S ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS TIME! See you on YouTube. https://t.co/CT91Yt6604 #NationalTheatreAtHome pic.twitter.com/KKGNjaAJc2

— National Theatre (@NationalTheatre) April 2, 2020

The National Theatre in London will be releasing a recording of a play every week, and Broadway stars have held virtual play readings. Regional theatres like TheatreWorks Silicon Valley have also joined the online stage by holding a “virtual opening night” for its musical production of Pride & Prejudice, which included interviews with cast members and was hosted by Broadway star Beth Leavel.

Worldwide Orchestras

Choirs and orchestras are organizing their performances online, often with individual members recording themselves and compiling their videos into a final product. Some conductors are hosting live sessions over YouTube and other streaming platforms. Here are some impressive performances done without any of the performers in the same room:

Slovenian acapella group Perpetuum Jazzile performs an original piece using recordings from each singer.
The Symphonic Orchestra of Castille and Leon performs Ode to Joy using recordings of each musician.
The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra shared a Proudly South African performance of the National Anthem.

Sharing Their Craft

For aspiring artists who have no idea how to begin, there are an abundance of online classes available for all manner of things. The online website Class Central has compiled over 450 free online classes from the eight Ivy League universities, including courses in music, photography, and architecture. Scores of artists are also using YouTube to host online classes of their own on every topic imaginable: drawing, knitting, painting, playing instruments, and more.

Mo Willems, artist-in-residence at the Kennedy Centre, is hosting periodic doodle sessions on YouTube.
https://www.nytimes.com/article/how-to-make-face-mask-coronavirus.html
For those who are more industrially minded, the New York Times has created a guide for how to make your own protective face masks to wear if you need to venture out in public.

Going Out in Style

As more people commit themselves to social isolation and self-quarantine, sometimes the only time they leave the house is to take out the trash. Members of the Australian Facebook group “Bin isolation outing” (https://www.facebook.com/groups/306002627033697/) found a creative way to make taking out the trash fun by donning costumes for the daily chore.

The Australian Facebook Bin isolation dress-up challenge is being taken up by people around the world, including this woman in Croydon, UK, who put on her finery to take out the trash.

The fun has now spread around the world, with participants from Scotland and the United States putting their own spin on the silly costumes.

Coronavirus

Western Cape government calls for medical volunteers to help fight Covid-19

April 4, 2020 By Ainsley Ash

By Ainsley Ash 

MAIN IMAGE: A graphic issued by the Western Cape government showing the spread of Covid-19 cases in the province.

The Western Cape Government has issued an appeal for medical volunteers to sign up to help fight the spread of COVID-19 as it gears up for a rise in case numbers in coming weeks. 

On Friday the government issued a statement explaining that the pre-existing burden of disease among the province’s population combined with the COVID-19 pandemic were increasing pressure on medical facilities. It called on doctors, nurses, pharmacists, pharmacy assistants and emergency medical service personnel who were not already employed by the Department of Health to sign up online to offer their services.

The request came as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the province rose to 418, with 25 people in hospitals, seven of them receiving intensive care. 

https://twitter.com/WesternCapeGov/status/1246046870956359680?s=20

On Thursday, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and health officials took to Facebook for a live presentation to discuss the province’s response to COVID-19.

“We have got enough hospital beds, enough ICU beds and enough quarantine facilities right now,” Winde said. “But we’ve got to be preparing for what the impact is going to be in a week, two weeks, and two months’ time?”

While the province’s numbers are currently low, Western Cape Head of Health Dr Keith Cloete said that the numbers of locally transmitted cases, hospitalisations, and ICU patients was expected to continue to increase. 

Dr Keith Cloete explains challenges of preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the province. (Ainsley Ash)

Cape Town has been the epicenter of the spread of local transmissions with 333 of the 418 reported cases residing in the Cape Town metropolitan area. Before the government’s request for volunteers, over 100 students at the University of Cape Town had already begun volunteering to run a local COVID-19 hotline.

Members of the UCT Surgical Society who opted to volunteer have been classified as emergency medical personnel, giving them the necessary permissions to travel to and from the Tygerberg Hospital Disaster Management Centre where the hotline is located.

This week, the national Health Department will begin to conduct mass community screenings and testing to track and prevent the spread of local transmissions. According to Cloete, community health workers and NGOS will carry out these preventative efforts, beginning with vulnerable communities in the Cape Town Metro.

Coronavirus

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

Photo of the Day, 14 February 2020

The Mzamba bridge hangs across Mzamba river in the Eastern Cape. Completed in 2015, the … [Read More...] about Photo of the Day, 14 February 2020

Photo of the Day, 13 February 2020

This painting of a black woman in an upscale restaurant in Durban's Florida Rd shows the stark … [Read More...] about Photo of the Day, 13 February 2020

Photo of the Day, 13 February 2020

An inspirational poster of Nelson Mandela sits alongside two Bibles in the entrance of the iCare … [Read More...] about Photo of the Day, 13 February 2020

Photo of the Day, 12 February 2020

A pile of quarried lime in one of multiple informal markets located at Warwick Junction, Durban, … [Read More...] about Photo of the Day, 12 February 2020

Photo of the Day, 11 February 2020

Buses arrive at the transportation port near Warwick Juncture. Commuters arriving at this bus and … [Read More...] about Photo of the Day, 11 February 2020

Photo of the Day, 10 February 2020

Traders have their wares on display at the Warwick Junction Markets. With thousands of informal … [Read More...] about Photo of the Day, 10 February 2020

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