More than 30 students and two staff members at the University of Fort Hare (UFH) have tested positive for Covid-19, while 900 others are waiting for their test results.

According to Eastern Cape health spokesperson Siyanda Manana, the outbreak is linked to a party that was held earlier this month, which most of the students attended.

“Most students are from the nursing science faculty and to a lesser degree the law faculty. The outbreak follows a party that took place on October 3,” Manana said.

UFH Denosa Student Movement chairperson Nkos’odumo Ngcayi said the movement was concerned about the safety of student nurses doing practicals as 30 student nurses had tested positive.

“The movement received complaints from student nurses who at their clinical practicals are given one mask each to wear for the whole week and are transported in a fully packed university bus to and from clinical practicals.  We note with concern the statement from EC heath which alleges that the students attended a party in East London,” he said.

The university said the tests are still continuing and as a result the National Health Laboratory Services had provided it with a mobile testing facility.

UFH spokesperson Tandi Mapukatha said on Saturday 422 students were tested and another 503 tests were done on Monday.

“The process of testing and contact tracing is under way and the East London campus has been declared a site under surveillance. The Eastern Cape department of health started a risk assessment on our residences in East London where some students have tested positive and the Alice campus isolation facility was visited by an environmental officer from Buffalo City municipality as well as a Covid-19 manager from Raymond Mhlaba subdistrict,” Mapukatha said.

Source: Timeslive

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