Mpumalanga hospital closed over Covid-19, others taking action

Sections of the Busamed Lowveld Private Hospital in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, has been closed to the public for the day on Monday over concerns regarding a case of Covid-19.

The hospital said on Monday that it would limit public access to the facility as a precautionary measure to ensure that the correct protocol was implemented.

According to hospital manager Andre Oosthuizen, all people who have been in close contact with the confirmed case at the hospital have been notified and are in self-quarantine.

The hospital is working closely with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and the health department to ensure that patient and visitor safety measures are in place.

The Netcare Hospital Group said it had deployed stringent measures in its facilities to help curb the spread of the disease.

Netcare CEO Dr Richard Friedland said the group was deploying ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection robots to their hospitals that do not yet have their own.

“These mobile robots have been proven to be extremely effective in identifying and destroying viruses, bacteria and fungal spores,” he said.

Friedland said as the first line of defence, all people entering Netcare facilities would be screened for Covid-19 at the main points of entry. The facilities also conducted daily screening of staff and had placed restrictions on visiting times at hospitals.

The private Pretoria Urology Hospital has temporarily changed its visiting hours.

“To protect our staff, patients and visitors, and to contain the spread, please note that with immediate effect the visiting hours have been changed to once a day from 11am to 8pm,” said the hospital.

Only one person per patient is allowed into the wards and no-one under the age of 18 is allowed to visit.