Funeral Attendees at Greater risk of Contracting Covid-19
South Africa
South Africa recorded the highest number of positive COVID-19 infections in a single day with 251 cases on Saturday. The Health minister Dr. Mkhize revealed that 114,711 tests have been conducted so far. The number of positive cases stands at 3,158 and the number of recoveries at 903 with 54 deaths recorded.
In his observation, the majority of the deceased are the elderly and people living with existing life-threatening conditions. He advised that greater care must be taken by this vulnerable group and strict adherence to their treatment regimens while staying indoors.
He also said that Funeral attendees are at high risk of contracting this virus mostly because of cultural or religious practices and in cases where people show affection when giving comfort by hugging and touching each other or passing the spade to pour sand into the graves. He advised that at funerals maximum hygiene must be practiced including wearing a face mask and social distancing while limiting attendees to 50 persons.
Nigeria
Aides of the President of Nigeria working in the Aso Rock Presidential Villa were requested to stay away after they attended the Saturday funeral of the Late Chief of Staff to President Buhari who passed away on Friday. Senior media aide to the president, Mallam Garba Shehu confirmed that the request to stay away from the Presidential Villa is consistent with protocols of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the Federal Ministry of Health. Reiterated that most aides were already working remotely he concluded his statement and said “For the most part, the Villa has operated digitally in the last few weeks so there is nothing new to this.”
Africa’s Covid-19 Cases
Total confirmed cases from the Coronavirus pandemic in Africa has risen to 22,313 with 5,492 total recoveries and 1,124 confirmed deaths. See the latest figures in Statistics Updated April 20, 2020 and a breakdown of Corona Virus cases per Africa member states.