Clarity regarding the quarantine facilities that have been made available for Covid-19 must urgently be provided so that Members of Parliament, provincial legislatures and municipal councillors can effectively perform their oversight role in this regard and the necessary safety precautions must be in place so that these people do not contract the virus themselves.
There are still too many complaints from persons, coming from neighbouring countries and even overseas, who have to stay in these facilities and it has become clear that the facilities are not fully equipped to accommodate these people. The regulations stipulate that people who travel across the border posts to South Africa must stay in these quarantine facilities for 14 days. However, the facilities lack proper water supply, electricity, food, beds and clean linen and the facilities are also not cleaned regularly.
The FF Plus is concerned as numerous complaints have been received about the facilities in Ellisras, Upington, Nababeep and Modderfontein in Tembisa. It is, thus, imperative for the Departments of Health and Public Works to be able to perform the necessary inspections to ensure that everything is satisfactory and in place at these facilities.
It is also imperative that the details of the facilities are disclosed so that Members of Parliament, provincial legislatures and municipal councillors can know where the facilities are located so that they can ensure that the relevant departments are indeed performing their duties effectively.
The staff working at the facilities must also receive proper training as soon as possible. It seems as if problems arose in the communication between the national departments, provincial departments and municipalities regarding the setting up and management of these facilities.
