Old age home management apologises to panicked Covid-19 positive caregivers 

James Wilson, director of the Evergreen Care Centre in Muizenberg, faced criticism after the matron at the centre, Lee Hampton, reportedly told the workers they should go home and isolate themselves. 

Six of the care workers were informed on Thursday, 28 May, about their Covid-19 positive status, and the seventh when she returned to work on Saturday.

One of the workers told Maverick Citizen that caregivers were told “some of them are from Khayelitsha and had brought the virus to the centre”.

Another panicked worker, who refused to leave, locked herself in one of the rooms at the centre but was later forcibly removed. Volunteer social worker Lorriane Moko became aware of the situation and contacted ANC MP Hishaam Mohamed, who visited the centre and attempted to talk to management to defuse the situation.

According to Mohamed, caregivers were worried that they would not be able to self-isolate because they lived in informal structures in nearby Vrygrond and Khayelitsha.

He pointed out that these structures they lived in were not conducive to self-isolation. There would also be the concomitant risk of infecting family members at home, he said.

“The workers called for help and asked to be quarantined at a place other than their homes. But the Evergreen management would have none of it and started to forcefully remove the workers.

“The attitude of management was not only disgusting but also unlawful. By forcing their loyal employees to go home, knowing it was not safe or possible for isolation, they effectively contravened the Covid-19 regulations as it had the risk of infecting not only the family members of the care workers but also an entire community,” Mohamed said.

Wilson has since been in contact with all the care workers. Four have been referred to the isolation ward and the remaining three will also be taken there, he said.