The Eastern Cape Health Department has confirmed that 128 learners have tested positive for Covid-19 at schools in Middelburg and Burgersdorp.
Briefing the media in East London on Tuesday, Health MEC Sindiswa Gomba, said there was one teacher who tested positive in Burgersdorp as well as 15 community contacts.
She said in Middelburg 26 learners and 25 community members tested positive following the recent outbreak.
Gomba said health teams have been placed in the same places to monitor their symptoms. Only one elderly person has been isolated in hospital for close observation.
"The Department of Health has increased the number testing and tracing teams, sent more mobile laboratories to support testing and increased the number of vehicles to be used for community-based campaigns using loudhailers for contact tracing."
"Also supporting the Department of Education with psycho-social services," Gomba said.
Education MEC, Fundile Gade, said the outbreak at the schools came at a time when more teachers and learners returned to schools.
He said it came at a time when 98% of teachers and 84.5% of learners returned to schools in the Eastern Cape as part of the risk-adjusted approach to reopening schools and the move to Lockdown Level1.
Meanwhile, Public Works MEC, Babalo Madikizela, said the province had decided to inject a huge amount into infrastructure investment since lockdown was announced.
He said to date 85 tenders, amounting to R578m had been approved to mainly Eastern Cape contractors for the refurbishment of 67 health facilities across the province.
However, he said more investment would be needed to provide quality care to the people of the province.
MEC Madikizela said most of the construction work has been done by SMME contractors whom he said "had surprised us” with completed projects done within “scope, on time and in the budget”.
As at 21 September, 3 079 people in the Eastern Cape have died as a result of Covid-19.
Tha National death toll is standing at 15 992.
