The Gauteng Department of Health was forced to turn to a court of law when a mother and daughter refused to be quarantined after testing positive for Covid-19.

The pair, who could not be identified, tested positive after undergoing tests. The woman’s husband refused to be tested.

The woman, her husband and daughter were traced by police in the afternoon after the department obtained a court order in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Health Department spokesperson Kwara Kekana confirmed that the family refused to be quarantined.

“They left the hospital without swabs being taken. The department then approached the court last night on an urgent basis in order to ensure that we didn’t interfere with the constitutional rights of the patients without a court order. A court order was granted around 01:00 on Tuesday in favour of the department.

“The matter was reported to SAPS to trace the family. We are pleased that the family was found around 12:30 and is currently being attended to at a designated health facility,” Kekana said.

The department pleaded with the public to cooperate with healthcare workers during this difficult period of dealing with the coronavirus.

– News24