St Francis is not a Covid ‘hot spot’

The St Francis area is not a Covid ‘hot spot’!!

• By Bev Mortimer
• 
  A current social media page post, which was then shared in local groups, announcing that the St Francis area is a Covid ‘hot spot’ is incorrect.
  Fifteen cases do not make the area a hot spot. The Department of Health confirmed to St Francis Chronicle on Friday that there are only 15 active cases of the virus in the whole St Francis area and that this area is not a hot spot.
  The Department also confirmed that St Francis has a 96% recovery rate and a 1% Covid death or fatality rate.
  Last week Kouga Municipality posted a poster on its FB page (which is still there!) declaring that St Francis is a hot spot. This caused alarm bells to ring in the area and some people to panic
  Some locals declared they were going to hibernate even more, while some visitors phoned to ask me whether they must cancel their ‘weekend away’ plans in St Francis this past weekend.
  The Department of Health has, however, also warned everyone, locally and in South Africa, not to be complacent and said that people must still sanitise, wear masks and keep their social distance in public areas, such as shops where there are lots of people.