Ramaphosa declares the Ranch Hotel a green zone from COVID - 19

By: Clarence Mashiane

It was an emotional Sunday morning at The Ranch Hotel when President Cryil Ramaphosa assured South Africans that have been quarantined at the hotel an assurance that they will be allowed to go to their families on Monday after a month long lock down in Wuhan and two weeks quarantine in Polokwane.

All 112 of them were tested and cleared negative for Coronavirus, since they landed at Polokwane International Airport two weeks ago. The 112 included cabin crew, volunteers and medical health practitioners from SANDF.

Initially, they were supposed to be quarantined for 21 days as a precautionary measures as it is said that the virus takes about 14 days to show symptoms in a human body,  but because they were tested negative before evacuated in Wuhan and before they landed in Polokwane the quarantine was a measure to ensure that they did not develop any symptoms and tested negative during their stay at the Ranch Hotel.

During his address, the president referred to the team as a positive and realistic example of what a lockdown means and can produce.

“These are a true reflection of what a lockdown can do, they were on the lockdown in Wuhan before been flown to the Republic and even on their arrival they allowed to be quarantined.

I plead to all South Africans to learn from these young men and women that for us to flatten the curve and fight the virus, it requires us to observe the lockdown. If we do so, we are going to minimize the spread of infection of this Covid -19”

The group will be going to their respective families for the first time in months since the outbreak of the Coronavirus and their departure from the Ranch hotels comes when South Africa is on the 4^th day of a 21 day Lockdown to help curb the spread of the virus.

Now the Ranch Hotel is declared a green zone since none of the individuals that were kept in the facility have tested positive.