Mpumalanga MEC Sasekani Manzini has temporarily closed down the Mapulaneng Hospital in Bushbuckridge, in Mpumalanga after a hospital official tested positive for the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

Manzini visited the facility on Wednesday and coordinated with management and organised labour on the way forward to ensure the safety of workers and patients.

According to the MEC, the official was tested last week after she was screened at the hospital entrance when she reported for work.

“We are sad to announce that the official was found to have a high temperature and was immediately tested only to find that they had contracted the Covid-19 pandemic. The results were received late evening on Tuesday and the hospital staff was informed this morning,” Manzini said on Wednesday.

Manzini declared that all primary contacts in the hospital had since been tested and quarantined and were currently awaiting their results, while the official who tested positive has been isolated.

“The official who tested positive has since been taken to one of the isolation sites in the province, whilst the dental unit is currently closed in order to be decontaminated before it can be utilised. The tracing team is busy tracing the other contacts,” Manzizi said.

She expressed her gratitude to the hospital staff for their commitment and said that the safety of the frontline staff remained a priority for the department.

“I want to applaud the hospital staff for remaining brave during this life threatening situation and I want it to be known that the dental unit, casualty and OPD will be the first areas to be decontaminated this evening followed by the other areas until the entire hospital is decontaminated,” said Manzini.

She called for calm, and assured that the daily screening of staff would continue and those meeting the criteria would be referred for testing.

“I want to reassure the community of Bushbuckridge that the Department is monitoring the positive cases and their contacts very closely. The community screening and testing will continue and we can verify that it is indeed assisting to identify positive cases and prevent further spread of the pandemic,” she said.