The South African government have been incredible in tackling the Coronavirus; they even have a very informative WhatsApp contact to answer your queries.
South Africa (16 March 2020) – The word(s) on everyone’s lips is Corona/Covid-19. Last night the stress of where South Africa stood during the pandemic was eased as President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the implementation of some severe restrictions. These will hopefully prevent the further spread of the virus from international sources.
One of the key things we learned last night was that the Government has set up an active WhatsApp account that will answer all of your queries.
We gave it a test drive, and this is everything you need to know.
Firstly, the number you want to save in your contacts is 060 012 3456. All you need to do is message the contact by saying “Hi”. Save it as Corona Support SA or something along those lines.
You will then receive a menu response. We waited about ten minutes for an answer. The menu provides a number of prompts which you can use to get the information you need.
Below are the messages we received from the support contact.
Welcome to the official government COVID-19 support service
COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It’s caused by a virus called coronavirus.
Correct information is critical. This service provides the official and up to date information on the status of COVID-19 in South Africa.
What would you like to know about COVID-19?
Reply with one of the words in the list below to get the correct information on the topic:
News
Myths
About
Prevention
Symptoms
Treatment
Risks
Travel
Testing
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We wanted to know more about the Treatment so replied with that selection. This is what we received in response.
“To date, there is no specific medicine recommended to prevent or treat COVID-19.
However, those infected with the virus should receive appropriate care to relieve and treat symptoms, and those with severe illness should receive optimised supportive care. Some specific treatments are under investigation, and will be tested through clinical trials. The World Health Organization is helping to accelerate research and development efforts with a range or partners.
Watch this video to find out more about treatment available for COVID-19.”
They also shared a helpful video that explains how people with Coronavirus are being treated.
If you don’t want to interact with the contact, you can check their profile status for updates. They have recently updated their status to say that due to high volumes of interaction, there may be a delay in response time.
The government have created several other places where one can get accurate and factual information. You can find out more via their Twitter account or via the dedicated South African Coronavirus website.
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Want to thank all people who are helping in this times of corona. I am in Eastern Cape, Mthatha l am worried about some of the shops Plaza mall, Spar near the bus rank there are sanitizers wipes for the trolleys even the sanitizer sprays for the customers. To make matters worse the Spar is adjacent to the bus park station. I want to recommend the
retailers Checkers and Pick nPay in Ngebs mall for the hand sanitizer sprays that they have put in their shops. Still worried with the toilets in the mall there are no soap dispensers for people to wash their hands.