Some Bonteheuwel residents are still not obeying lockdown rules even after three people in the area tested positive for Covid-19 last week.
Two women are in self-isolation and the other has been placed in quarantine in a government provided facility.
Bonteheuwel ward councillor, Angus McKenzie, has urged the community not to panic as they should not have been in contact with residents because of the national lockdown. The women’s families were being tested, he said.
“I want to strongly urge residents at this time not to panic or seek to spread and share information of who, what or when. That information is not relevant at this time. With local transmission increasing, it is critically important that regulations are adhered to. People must stay indoors and practise the highest level of hygiene.”
Mr McKenzie said more details about the infected women couldn’t be given out because he feared the community might act irrationally toward them and their families.
“Any form of unsavoury behaviour towards family and friends of infected individuals cannot and will not be tolerated. I urge Bonteheuwel residents to not spread rumours but rather to stay indoors and help stop the spread of this virus and the ever-growing local infection rate. This is no time to panic but rather to responsibly react to the situation. The numbers are bound to increase and sadly this is a hard reality if we continue not to adhere to lockdown regulations.”
Chairperson of the Community of Bonteheuwel Association, Abie Clayton, said residents of his road were walking around as usual and children were still playing in the street.
“People just don’t care. Even the police are tired of telling them to go inside so now when they drive past people outside they don’t even stop anymore. People say that they have overcome worse things, and that this will pass eventually but because of this, they might have come into contact with someone who has been infected,” he said.
Bishop Lavis police station spokesman, Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi, said police had to deal daily with people disobeying the lockdown rules.
“We send a police van into the area and 10 to 15 minutes later, the community calls again about a complaint. We are trying our best to get people off the streets, and they have the world of excuses, including going to the shop, so I ask where is the money and if they can’t show me I say go back or who is going to buy the bread and the others must go home. So many people have been arrested and fined with R500.
“People are not serious about this, when we see children playing outside we ask the parents why and then they end up shouting at them and tell us that they told them to not play outside and they end up running inside. Our residents know exactly what the consequences are but they are yet to listen.”