COVID-19 is a respiratory virus. As such, smokers are twice as likely to suffer more serious symptoms than people who have never smoked, says Dr Catherine Egbe, a specialist scientist at the South African Medical Research Council’s Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Research Unit.
The Department of Social Development says victims of violence and abuse who seek professional help benefit greatly from these supportive external interventions, which help them heal and become empowered.
The Department of Social Development has relooked at and strengthened the criteria and payment methods for the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant.
Childline provides a 24-hour, toll-free telephone counselling service in all nine provinces. Since the start of lockdown, the organisation has received an increased number of calls.
This practice has been condemned by the Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi.
Artists in the Free State have made the best of enforced social distancing, brought about by the coronavirus (COVID-19), for the Free State Digital Creative Festival.
The aim of the festival is to raise awareness about COVID-19, by fusing the work of artists such as Mpho Thulo, a poet and Luis Kruger, a digital artist.
Employees of Mighty Comms in Midrand, near Johannesburg, received a portion of their salaries despite the company not being fully operational during the nationwide lockdown.
This is thanks to the Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) for COVID-19, offered by the Department of Employment and Labour through the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).
