In addition, MTN also announced they will be zero-rating the use of the app on the network. Meaning, use of the app will be free for MTN subscribers. The app is available for free download on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

The COVID Alert SA app, which was designed by Discovery for the National Department of Health, uses Bluetooth contact-tracing technology to let people know when they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. It does this in a way that always preserves app user privacy and anonymity.

According to MTN SA’s executive for Corporate Affairs, Ms Jacqui O’Sullivan. “One of the critical aspects of combatting COVID-19 is the ability to detect positive cases early and to isolate as many contacts as possible. The COVID Alert SA app gives every smartphone user in South Africa the chance to understand their exposure to the virus, so that we can all protect our families and our communities, and especially those people who are most at risk of severe disease.”

Since the start of the nationwide lockdown MTN has worked with government to zero rate over 900 individual URLs to ensure that South Africans are able to access important online resources and information during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To address this and many other concerns, LG has shown off PuriCare, its solution which, as you might expect, is a bit of a smart device designed to purify the air you breathe in and wear almost like a post-apocalyptic but still stylish face mask.

Face masks have not come in all shapes and sizes but not all of them are actually designed properly. Some are just for show while others, while effective, are also uncomfortable to use for long hours. LG promises that its PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier delivers both looks and efficiency thanks to a variety of components, including sensors and built-in fans.

LG says that its patented Respiratory Sensor intelligently detects the wearer’s breath and can adjust the fan speed between three settings to help make breathing more effortless. The mask also uses the same H13 HEPA filters that LG uses for its home purifiers, promising a supply of fresh and clean air. And to ensure the proper disinfection of the mask itself, it has a case the uses UV-LED lights to kill germs while charging the mask.

Yes, the mask actually does need to charge its 820 mAh battery, which is advertised to last 2 to 8 hours, depending on the mode of operation. This is no disposable or washable mask, obviously, and the filters and ear straps can and need to be replaced eventually. The case will notify users via LG’s ThinQ mobile app if it’s time to replace the filters.

The company promises that despite the electronics and components onboard, the PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier is still light enough to comfortably wear for hours on end. It will also fit securely on anyone’s face, minimising gaps around the chin and nose. There is no word yet on when the wearable sanitation device will be available in the market, but we are looking at a price tag of about R2 500 when it does officially launch.

According to Lenovo’s guidance, “using disinfectant product containing alcohol (at least 70%) to wipe down your device with; ensure you leave your cleaning solution on your device for several minutes before wiping it off. This will give the solution enough time to ‘soak’ and effectively remove any existing germs from your device.” The guide makes specific note of bleach, too – don’t you DARE use bleach on your device.

Whenever there’s a note like this, where a product is mentioned specifically, it’s almost certainly there because Lenovo’s had to deal with people that’ve used bleach on their devices, then complained that their devices malfunctioned. It’d take a few times, too, they wouldn’t likely make a note like this if more than one person hand’t come to its support centre to see why their bleached Yoga Tab wouldn’t turn on.

“Don’t use bleach. Always read the directions to make sure you’re using the products as recommended to avoid damaging your sensitive electronic devices. Another solution would be to use wipe-able covers for your laptops and other electronic devices, as this will make the cleaning process much simpler and time-effective.”

The rest of Lenovo’s tips for cleaning your tech products are not brand new this week, but remain good advice nonetheless.

• Remove and debris (crumbs, dust particles etc) from your device by gently turning it upside down or using compressed air;
• Apply a cleaning agent* to a lint free towel or cloth;
• Wring excess liquid out of your towel/ cloth to avoid damage to your device;
• Thoroughly wipe down all surfaces of your device, and subsequently allow to dry for the specified time on the cleaning agent label;
• Wipe off any remaining residue or liquid from the surface of your device

That goes for all Lenovo products – and any other gadgets you might want to clean around the house, while we’re at it. Don’t get extra wild trying to make sure you don’t get COVID-19 (aka novel coronavirus) by bleaching your entire collection of mobile devices. Bleach won’t do what you want – it’ll wreck everything.

The carmakers are offering services such as support specifically for the nation’s healthcare workers who are risking their own lives in order to save others to grocery relief for the needy. Below, we’ve listed a few automakers worthy of a praise for doing their bit during these difficult times. In no particular order, of course.

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz South Africa announced that it will assist in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic in the Eastern Cape, by manufacturing the supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the form of 3D printed recyclable plastic face shields for use in mass screening, clinics and hospitals. In addition, and pending quality assurance regulatory approval, MBSA will also manufacture and supply Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) breathing aid devices from its East London Manufacturing Plant for the Eastern Cape Provincial Department of Health.

BMW

MW Group South Africa’s contribution to the fight against the spread of Covid-19 stepped up a gear this week as the company loaned 17 BMWs to the South African Red Cross Society. This is after the brand had handed over 40 000 high-quality protective respiratory (FFP2) face masks to the Gauteng Department of Health in order to help protect health services workers.

The Red Cross had asked BMW for assistance to help it reach marginalised and poor communities that have been badly impacted by the lockdown regulations required to mitigate against the uncontrolled spread of the virus.

The cars, the majority of which are Rosslyn-built BMW X3s, will be used by the Red Cross to reach these communities. In addition to the provision of screening and contact tracing, the cars will assist with the distribution of hot meals and food parcels, the dissemination of information in six languages, the elimination of coronavrius myths, and the provision of psycho-social support to volunteers and emergency personnel engaged in anti-Covid-19 operations.

KIA Motors

KIA Motors has, in the other hand, decided to donate to more than one cause. This week, the Korean manufacturer donated a KIA K2700 light commercial vehicle to the Madrassah Ashraful Uloom in Marlboro, Johannesburg, to assist the organisation in delivering food and other essentials to the vulnerable community of Alexandra and surrounds during the Covid-19 Lockdown.

This follows KIA’s donatation of three KIA K2700 light commercial vehicles and three KIA Picanto STARTs to SANZAF to also assist in delivering food and other welfare support services to vulnerable communities.

Ford Motors

Ford Motors has been leading news headlines with their acts (yes, more than once) of goodwill even before the coronavirus lockdown period started. The latest act came in just last week when Ford announced it is supporting the Port Elizabeth branch of the SA Red Cross Society with two loan Ford Ranger Double Cabs to use from the start of the lockdown through to the end of May.

Before that, Ford dealers  stepped up to support Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa’s initiative to produce COVID-19 face shields by contributing R1-million to the project from the Ford National Dealer Council. Additionally, Ford suppliers and business partners have donated over R900 000 to the project, which includes R600 000 from Absa, with which Ford has a joint venture in Ford Credit.

April set the concrete for Ford’s efforts as they announced that they has commenced production of 57 000 protective face shields that will be donated to front-line medical and essential services personnel who are most at risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus that has spread worldwide. Ford has also approached its suppliers and business partners to ramp up production to a minimum of 500 000 units to meet the growing demand for these shields.

This was shortly followed by Ford Motor’s partnership with several local NGOs to provide vehicles for their use to assist their community support and relief efforts. This includes Gift of the Givers and Laudium Disaster Management.

During the latter part of April Ford Credit confirmed that it was allowing personal and business  customers that are impacted by reduced income or cashflow have the option of requesting a much needed payment deferral. All of this followed a two-month extension to the service plan for all vehicles where the contract expires between 1 March and 31 May 2020.

On 12 June 2020 Ford announced that its Ford Motor Company Fund has awarded a grant of R355 000 to Unjani Clinics to mobilise hygiene efforts and equip communities with basic personal protective items as a proactive measure to help contain the spread of COVID-19.

Unjani Clinics, which is a non-profit company and registered public benefit organisation, developed the project to focus on two main taxi ranks in Mamelodi in Pretoria and Struandale in Port Elizabeth respectively, where 6 500 protection and hygiene packs will be distributed to commuters over 30 days to limit the spread of COVID-19 as people begin returning to work.

Ford’s efforts haven’t stopped yet. Ford has assembled and supplied 50 000 face shields for the United States Department of Defense to shore up its response to the COVID-19 pandemic in our region.

This large order was facilitated by the US Embassy in Pretoria, and funded by the US AFRICOM Humanitarian Assistance programme. The face shields will be provided to the South African Military Health Service members who are on the frontlines battling the coronavirus across the country. They will also be supplied to Botswana, Namibia and the Kingdoms of Eswatini and Lesotho.

Mazda

Mazda dealers across South Africa are offering a free vehicle service to registered healthcare workers under level 4 and level 5 lockdown. This program is available to all Mazda vehicles, irrespective of their age.

As further assistance to all Mazda owners with vehicles that have valid warranty and service plans, these plans will be extended. The extension period depends on the duration of the lockdown and Mazda owners can obtain individual details from their dealer partners.

Toyota South Africa

Meanwhile, back in Sandton, Toyota South Africa Motors committed to spending more than R10 million to assist the local taxi industry in the fight against the spread of COVID-19. The assistance comes in the form of more than 65 000 litres of sanitisers, 2 000 face masks, as well as COVID-19-related marketing initiatives.

With regards to sanitisers, a total of 2 000 x 25 litres, 3 000 x 5 litres, 20 000 x 100ml, as well as 2 000 hand-wash dispensers have been distributed to regional taxi structures across the country’s nine provinces.

Volkswagen

Similar to Ford Motor’s long aid sheet, Volkswagen has spared no effort when it comes to the fight against VOVID19. Things started back on April 20th when VW announced that in response to the global Covid-19 crisis, they’re focusing time and attention on the manufacture of masks and medical equipment in addition to using 3D printing technology to produce parts for a mechanical ventilator which will be produced at the Uitenhage plant.

On 1 May 2020 Volkswagen donated 150 beds to the isolation facility at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. This is following Nelson Mandela Bay municipality’s announced that the stadium would be used to isolate low-acuity patients who have been infected with Covid-19, to prevent them from spreading the virus further.

Some sort of assistance was introduced for VW owners, too. In the event that your new vehicle warranty or the EasyDrive Plan expires or has expired during the period from 27 March 2020 to
30 June 2020, Volkswagen announced that they will extend the warranty or maintenance/service plan periods with an additional three months. These periods will end three months after the expiry of the new vehicle warranty or the Volkswagen EasyDrive Plan. Unfortunately, mileage restrictions will not be extended.

To better things, Volkswagen will be converting its plant in Neave (Korsten, Port Elizabeth), which is currently not in use, into an overflow medical facility. Once fully operational, the facility could accommodate up to 4 000 beds for patients diagnosed with the Covid-19 virus. This would also include high-acuity patients who require oxygenation.

Funding for this project comes from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) will provide funding of 5.2 million Euros (R107 million) while VWSA will contribute R28 million to the project.

Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi partnered with SANZAAR Rugby Referees Jaco Peyper, Rasta Rashivenga and Junior Springbok assistant coach Bafana Nhleko on community feeding projects over the last week. Their aim was to reach community members in need with a small food parcel during this time. Such a noble deed.

Hyundai

Hyundai has donated vehicles to Gift of the Givers and FoodForward SA – both non-governmental organisations who have made it their mission to distribute food to such communities.

Eight vehicles – five H100 trucks, one H-1 Bus and two Grand i10 Cargo panel vans – are being donated to Gift of the Givers and FoodForward South Africa. The organisations will use the vehicles in their drive to get food to communities where families have no income and a severe food shortage due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Two of the H100 trucks and the H-1 Bus will go to Gift of the Givers, while FoodForward SA is to receive three H100 trucks and two Grand i10 Cargo panel vans. The H100 trucks will be fitted with closed canopies donated by Beekman.

This feature is updated as announcements are made

Production will start as soon as clearance is received from government on the build of the ventilators from its Uitenhage Plant, near Port Elizabeth, based of the model OxyGEN, a free hardware designed by the company Protofy.xyz. Volkswagen SA said its Research and Development team is using 3D printing technology to produce parts for the mechanical ventilator.

OxyGEN is said to be a less complicated version of a ventilator, a medical device that experts say is in critically short supply to help patients who have respiratory failure and need help to breathe because of the coronavirus.

Volkswagen further announced plans to partner with Gusco, which was previously a beneficiary of the company’s Community Trust, to produce soft fabric face masks aimed at reducing the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Following a successful trial batch, production of these masks began last week, with the goal of delivering a few thousand masks over the coming weeks in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.

According to the data provided, nationally, all types of vehicles saw substantially more trips towards the end of last week. However, passenger vehicle activity has the most notable change: from 15 to 17 April people did 40% of the trips they did before lockdown, a significant increase from only 22% of pre-lockdown trips done at the same time the previous week.

Stops at shopping centres and service stations also showed this uptick trend, almost doubling on Thursday last week from the prior week.

More citizens might be on the road as an ease in regulations allows for additional essential and urgent services during the extended lockdown period. However, such a significant increase in vehicle movement over the past few days more likely indicates a negative shift in compliance to lockdown rules, particularly as the increase in movement started ahead of Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s regulations amendments announcement.

It’s feasible that people had bought enough to get them through the initial 21-day lockdown,” says Linda Reid, Head of Data for Lightstone. “However, with that period coming to an end, it’s possible that their supplies were running out, resulting in higher volumes of people needing to shop at the end of last week.”

As numbers sit at 2 415 confirmed cases in Mzansi, our current global pandemic requires that companies like Apple step forward and offer their tech power to assist the world in avoiding sickness and death. Mobility data revealed by Apple today is not attached to any specific user account, but is based instead on user requests for Apple Maps data for directions.

Per Apple’s release on the subject this week, Apple’s created this new tool for the public using mobility trends for major cities and 63 countries or regions, including Johannesburg and Cape Town (below  graphs). The data is generation by “counting the number of requests made to Apple Maps for directions.” This data is used to show changes in volume of people moving throughout a city. This is slightly different from the contact tracing business – slightly.

Trends show people moving via driving, walking, or taking public transit in the Apple tool, via Apple Maps. Data availability is based on several factors for each city, country, or region. One significant factor in play is the minimum threshold for direction requests made per day. If you live in a region where very, very few people are asking for directions at, for example, 3AM in the middle of the wilderness, you’ll get no significant info from Apple’s tool.

If you’d like to access this data, take a peek at the site Apple COVID-19 Mobility – as of today. This site may change in the future, but for now, that’s the place to go. You can see trends listed with the tool or by downloading a CSV of all the data all at once. If you’ve got an idea for a project based on the data, let us and/or Apple know.

The Savanna Virtual Comedy Bar will consist of two elements – the weekly Bar Nights and bi-weekly Comedy Specials. The weekly Bar Night events, which will be hosted on Zoom, will feature two talented comics and an equally talented host. Comedy Specials will be run every two weeks and will star nine different comics and their host comedic barman. These will be via Instagram Live, Facebook Live and YouTube Live on Savanna’s social media channels and will provide a full 90 minutes of entertainment.

The first Weekly Bar Night will be held tonight,  Thursday 9 April at 6pm, and will feature David Kau and Nik Rabinowitz, with Coconut Kelz as host. The first Comedy Special event will start on Saturday 18 April and will star nine of SA’s comedic talents who will be announced soon.

This virtual comedy bar isn’t just for comedic heavy hitters, however. Savanna is also offering aspiring comics a shot at auditioning for their spot on the lineups of these events. Those that are keen and want to be part of the Savanna Virtual Comedy Bar can submit a sixty-second audition clip on why they think they should be included in the lineup to virtual@ogopro.co.za.

Dubbed CoronaFighter, the makers Dr Jarrad van Zuydam and Dr Rick Diesel from InsightFit, say that they made this new offering in partnership with health authorities, teams at Sigma Digital and Lead Robot. Over 30 super-talented volunteers from the Civitas founder network and Knife Capital’s Grindstone network.

The new website and web app are very simple to use: just click or tap ‘Start Test’, followed by a simple register using your email, phone number or Google Account, then where you’ll give CoronaFighter a brief medical and travel history, and the app will be able to tell you what the latest NICD guidelines suggest you do next.  The screening tool prompts users to call emergency services if they’re experiencing any severe symptoms, otherwise, they can select their age and then click or tap on any symptoms they may be experiencing, including things like sore throat, fever, chills, non-severe breathing issues, and more.

If the user’s answers indicate that they may have developed COVID-19, the screening tool will prompt them to contact their doctor about potentially getting screened. The website and app also provide instructs on how to proceed in the meantime, including isolating one’s self for at last fourteen days from the start of the symptoms, getting lots of rest, and monitoring symptoms.

CoronaFighter notes in its announcement that it is also providing users with access to information about coronavirus and COVID-19, including answers to commonly asked questions. The NCID is providing the latest information related to the issue, as well, including how to properly take steps to avoid contracting or spreading the virus.

Insights garnered from using Tracker’s vehicle tracking data and analytics from Lightstone indicate that most South Africans are doing their bit to “flatten the curve”. Nationally, South African vehicle activity had already dropped by up to 20% before the lockdown, relative to the corresponding day in early March. Vehicle activity has subsequently plummeted by 75% since the implementation of the lockdown.

The significant decline in vehicle movement during the first three days of confinement followed a slight increase in passenger vehicle activity in the two days prior. This increase in vehicle movement is likely due to citizens shopping in preparation for being confined to their homes with many having been paid on the 25th, as observed by the reports of lengthy queues and sold out stock at stores in the days before lockdown.

Drilling down to a town level in the two most compliant provinces, Sandton in Gauteng and Durbanville, Franschhoek and Noordhoek in the Western Cape show a greater than 90% reduction in vehicle movement. Conversely, the least stay at home compliance is observed in Khayelitsha and Guguletu in the Western Cape with a reduction in vehicle activity of less than 50%. Towns like Blue Downs in the Western Cape and Soweto and Katlehong in Gauteng have also only reduced their vehicle activity by between 60% and 70%.

This practice will only be put in place for one month, assuming nothing changes in the coming weeks, and is intended to reduce the strain of internet traffic spurred by the coronavirus outbreak. Other video companies have rolled out similar measures in some places.

The quarantines and lockdowns taking place around the world have resulted in a huge number of people who are home and streaming videos all day long. Netflix and a number of other video companies recently confirmed reducing bitrates or other similar measures to reduce the strain on Internet infrastructure during peak streaming times in South Africa.

In an update on the matter, Bloomberg reports that YouTube will default to standard definition on videos globally until the end of April. Users will need to manually increase the video resolution to HD or 4K if they want a higher-quality stream. The change will start to roll out over ‘coming days.’

In the same breath, YouTube introduced their very own online concert dubbed #WithMe. The festival, which kicked off last weekend, has already featured LIVE performances from household African names like Nadia Nakai, Distruction Boyz, Gigi Lamayne and Asa on their respective YouTube channels.

According to Addy Awofisayo, content partnership manager for YouTube Africa; “The Stay Home…#WithMe online music festival seeks to support the well-being of our community, who are increasingly enduring this disease in isolation – a state that can affect people’s mental, emotional and spiritual health,”

Performances will take place this Saturday and Sunday between 2 PM and 10 PM Central Africa Time. The YouTube Stay Home…#WithMe festival lineup (including previous shows) can be seen here.

Ventilators are a vital healthcare tool in supporting those infected with COVID-19. They’re designed to assist a patient with breathing, including keeping them breathing even when they themselves are unable to. It can mean the difference between life or death, but hospitals across across the world – have warned that ventilator supplies simply aren’t there to meet demand.

That’s where Ford comes in. Ford announced that it is collaborating with GE Healthcare on a version of the latter’s ventilator, which would be simplified from the current design. That could be produced not only by GE Healthcare, but on Ford’s production lines that would normally be busy building cars and trucks.

At the same time, Ford is also working with 3M on new powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) designs. These are individual masks for healthcare providers to wear, ensuring a clean supply of air as they attend to patients. Notably, the designs tap into readily-available components ordinarily expected to go into Ford vehicles.

Off-the-shelf fans that might normally power the ventilated seats in certain F-150 models, for example, could be combined with 3M’s HEPA air filters. The readily-available rechargeable batteries more commonly found slotted into drills and other power tools could be relied upon to keep the PAPR systems running over the course of medical shifts. Ford believes the makeshift masks could run for up to eight hours at a time before the battery needed recharging.

The goal is to figure out a design for the PAPR masks that could be produced at Ford facilities by UAW workers. That, it’s suggested, might boost the availability of the respirators tenfold. Ford is also working on transparent full-face shields – protecting the wearer’s eyes, nose, and mouth from liquids and bodily fluids that could carry the COVID-19 virus – which it hopes to have 75,000 of this week. Assuming that goes to plan, it could end up producing 100,000 a week at a Ford subsidiary in Michigan.