Eastern Cape Premier, Oscar Mabuyane has warned that the Covid-19 pandemic is about to get worse.
In a media briefing on Tuesday morning, he said his team is ramping up its approach in raising awareness of the virus in communities.
He says the local government has identified 87 wards in four hot-spot areas that will require a strategic response.
Mabuyane said funeral parlours are already complaining about the influx of bodies due to deaths caused by the pandemic.
He said they were moving from a top-down approach to dealing with the virus, to a bottom-up approach where individuals and communities need to take more responsibility for their actions.
This would be anchored in a so-called Ward Command Council approach.
"With it, we are taking the fight against COVID19 to the Wards with high numbers of COVID19 cases where we will bring on board all stakeholders in the form of a Ward Command Council to work together to manage the spread of the virus," Mabuyane said.
Meanwhile, as the province recorded over 38 000 infections, 528 covid-related fatalities and over 22 000 recoveries, Premier Mabuyane warned of a new scourge emerging in the province.
He said the issue of corruption and fraud has reared its head in the O R Tambo District Municipality.
Mabuyane said the Hawks are already investigating a door-to-door scam in the District involving an amount of R4.2-million.
He said he's also written to President Cyril Ramaphosa to issue a proclamation that will also see the Special Investigating Unit involved in probing allegations of corruption related to the response to the Covid19 crisis.
