A health worker screens a resident at Diepsloot for Covid-19.
Sharon Seretlo, Gallo Images via Getty Images
- Two City of Johannesburg frontline personnel died after contracting Covid-19.
- One was a metro police officer and the other was a firefighter.
- The City has started tracing people who may have had recent contact with the men.
Two City of Johannesburg frontline staffers have died of “Covid-19 related complications”.
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Both men died on Friday.
One of the victims was a metro police officer who worked for the department for 16 years, the City’s mayoral committee member for public safety, Mally Mokoena, said in a statement on Tuesday morning.
The officer was a married father of two.
The second staffer was a firefighter who worked at various fire stations, including Brixton and Fairview, during his 33-year career.
Mokoena did not say whether the details of how the men contracted the disease were known.
She said the City “was truly saddened” to have lost the men.
“The City of Johannesburg and its residents will forever be indebted to our fallen heroes,” said Mokoena.
She added that the men’s families have been receiving support from the municipality.
The City has also started a “thorough process” of tracing people who may have had recent direct contact with the men.
Gauteng Department of Health data showed that as of Monday, the City of Johannesburg recorded 30 404 cases and 10 523 recoveries were registered. The province also recorded 353 deaths.
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– Compiled by Sheldon Morais
