Times Of Swaziland: SOME TEXTILE WORKERS IN SELF-QUARANTINE

SOME TEXTILE WORKERS IN SELF-QUARANTINE
================================================================================
Stanley Khumalo on 25/03/2020 09:06:00


MATSAPHA – An undisclosed number of textile factory workers have been placed
in self quarantine following that one of their neighbours tested positive to
COVID-19.
The textile workers were ordered to self-quarantine on Monday, following that
one of the people they shared residential accommodation with, had tested
positive for COVID-19.
According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), quarantine
separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious
disease to see if they become sick. This step was ordered by one of the
factories in Matsapha to their employees. The reasoning behind the
implementation of the quarantine was said to have emanated from the fact that
the textile factory employees resided with an individual who tested positive.
Worth noting is that a majority of textile employees reside in one-room flats
popularly known as Titimela. This type of residential accommodation has its
tenants sharing lavatories and water taps, among many other things.
Alive
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), such surfaces can keep the
virus alive for up to eight hours, thus making it easy to contract if after
touching the infected surface, one touches one’s face – mouth, nose or eyes
– without washing hands with soap under running water. The virus is thought to
spread mainly between people who are in close contact with one another and
through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or
possibly be inhaled into the lungs. Meanwhile, it was said while implementing
the self quarantine process among some of its employees to avert any possibility
of multiple infections, a sense of panic was invoked among some of the textile
factory employees.  This is because some of the employees were of the view that
they had interacted with the quarantined workers. One of the employees said they
raised their concerns with management because they feared for their lives.
“Imagine if we contracted the virus and we are going about our duties without
knowing as we are still within the two week period wherein the symptoms are not
showing,” the employee said.
Fear
She expressed fear that this would spiral out of control as there were over 15
000 textile workers at the industrial site in Matsapha. A colleague shared the
same sentiments citing that there were more employees who could have been
exposed to the 31-year-old male confirmed on Saturday to have tested positive to
COVID -19. The confirmation of the aforementioned male was made by the Minister
of Health, Lizzie Nkosi. Meanwhile, according to an impeccable source within the
ministry, the said individual had no history of travelling beyond the borders of
the country, which raised suspicion that he could have contracted the virus from
a variety of items including surfaces and or public transport. The source
further alleged that the said individual could have infected many people
unknowingly with the virus. On the other hand, means to get a comment from the
management of the textile factory proved futile since the human resources
manager referred all questions to the Ministry of Health.