Eveline de Klerk

WALVIS BAY – Erongo regional health director Anna Jonas says inhabitants, especially those of Walvis Bay, should not take the current reduction of Covid-19 cases at the town for granted. 
She advised residents to exercise caution and adhere to prevention measures. 
Jonas, who was speaking at the governor’s media on Friday, said the current results might not be a true reflection at this stage, as the town has also started with evacuation measures of teachers and learners and has prioritised testing them at this stage. 
Cases have drastically decreased at the town that used to be referred to as the hotspot of Covid-19. However, Jonas said, they are investigating the sudden reduction, as it is premature to assume the town has flattened the curve. 
“We are still looking at what caused the sudden reduction; hence, residents should not relax or think we are out of the woods yet. We are currently focussing on testing people who want to leave – like students, teachers and those leaving for medical reasons, and this is one of the reasons why our results are also lower than usual,” she explained. 
On the part of Swakopmund, Dr Maryke Mouton called for coordination among residents and the health sector, as the town is seeing an increase in positive cases. 
“We have 541 cases, of which 111 are still active. We also have 333 recoveries and six deaths so far. However, most of our cases are mild; hence, we have 72 people currently in self-isolation,” said Mouton.  She added the town is also experiencing a backlog in test results due to the increasing cases of Windhoek. 
“This is one of the challenges we are facing, as it takes longer for people to get their results, creating frustration,” she said.
 - edeklerk@nepc.com.na