Garden Route health staff member shares his Covid-19 experience | Western Cape Government

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Garden Route health staff member shares his Covid-19 experience

11 July 2020

Etienne Engelbrecht (39) works at Kuyasa Clinic and is one of the more than 70 000 people in the Western Cape who contracted COVID-19. 

His initial symptoms were a sore throat and a bad headache. He decided to get tested and was shocked at first when he received his results. “I was really nervous for what the next 14 days will have in store for me,” says Etienne. Fortunately he did not develop severe symptoms and was able to isolate at home. 

Etienne and his wife also have two young children, aged 18 months and 4 years. “It was difficult to explain to them that I could not get too close to them and to keep to only certain areas of the house,” he says.

Etienne is from George, the subdistrict with the highest number of cases in the Garden Route.

Knowing how challenging it was during his isolation, Etienne finds it difficult to understand how some people still don’t see the seriousness of the virus. “There are still people within my community who don’t obey the rules which are set to protect all of us,” he says.

We all know the 5 rules of good hygiene:

1.      Wash your hand often with soap and water or sanitise them.

2.      Don’t touch your face and wear a mask when in public.

3.      Cough and sneeze in the bend of your elbow or a tissue.

4.      Keep your distance from others – at least 1,5 m.

5.      If you are sick, stay home.

Etienne’s message is that one cannot sanitise too much.

Media Enquiries: 

Nadia Ferreira
Principal Communications Officer
Garden Route and Central Karoo Districts
Western Cape Government Health
Tel: 044 5333846
Email: Nadia.Ferreira@westerncape.gov.za
Website: www.westerncape.gov.za