Covid-19 guidelines for Cape businesses planning to re-open

The Western Cape Department of Health, closely supported by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, has developed detailed workplace guidelines. Photo: Courtney Africa/African News Agency(ANA)

The Western Cape Department of Health, closely supported by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, has developed detailed workplace guidelines. Photo: Courtney Africa/African News Agency(ANA)

Published May 7, 2020

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Cape Town - The Western Cape Department of Health, closely supported by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT), has developed detailed workplace guidelines.

The guidelines touch on infection prevention, advice on what to do in the case of employees becoming infected and additional guidance for specific sectors with regards to infection prevention.

"They cover important aspects of workplace infection prevention starting with performing a risk assessment of and implementing safety procedures in all areas of the workplace including employee and customer entrances, workstations, employee and public toilets, shop floors, change rooms, waste storage areas, payment areas, goods storage areas, delivery areas and canteens," Premier Alan Winde said.

"The guidelines also cover regular screening of employees, training with regards to infection prevention and the use of protective equipment such as cloth masks and face shields.

"They detail how social distancing must be achieved by limiting the total number of people in the workplace to one person per 6m2 of office, factory or retail floor space. Businesses must rearrange workspaces to ensure that a distance of 1.5 metres is maintained between employees and / or customers and, where employees share workstations and equipment, these must be cleaned between shifts or use," he added.

Specific guidelines are also provided for the following business sectors: office workplaces without public access, banks, post offices and government offices serving the public, public transport, e-hailing and private taxis, petrol stations, large retail stores and clothing stores, informal traders and small stores, services with prolonged contact such as hairdressers, spas, and beauty salons, construction, manufacturing and agriculture.

"The guidelines give a thorough run down of the measures expected of businesses which are currently operating, and those that may open in subsequent alert levels. Business owners who are not currently operating should use this time to start preparing their systems for when they may re-open," Winde said.

"For example, large retail stores will need review their queuing systems, designating aisles for one-way traffic to reduce congestion and avoiding bottlenecks by restocking their shelves outside of trading hours.

"In banks, post offices and government offices, visitors should bring their own pens to avoid sharing, contactless payment options should be encouraged and, where possible, they should consider scheduling appointments to avoid long queues and congestion," Winde said.

"For e-hailing and private taxis, drivers should not overload their vehicles, should drive with the windows open, ensure all occupants are wearing masks, provide hand sanitisers and open all car doors themselves to avoid passengers touching door handles."

He added that petrol attendants should not switch between pumps and should avoid hand-to-hand transfers of cash by putting the cash into a container and taking it to the cashier.

"There are hundreds more examples and we encourage businesses to review and implement the guidelines with immediate effect," he said. 

The Western Cape Department of Health and the Department of Economic Development and Tourism are also available to provide support to businesses where needed to help stop the spread of Covid-19 in businesses. Please contact [email protected]

The guidelines can also be downloaded on the Covid-19 website: https://coronavirus.westerncape.gov.za/frequently-asked-questions/frequently-asked-questions-how-prevent-and-manage-covid-19-infections

DEDAT, together with Wesgro and the City of Cape Town, will be communicating these guidelines directly to business via their networks, websites and business support desks.

Cape Argus

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