Cape Town – Supermarket workers have expressed concern at not being equipped with gloves and masks as they are expected to service the public throughout the lockdown.
Bellville Shoprite employees yesterday said they were informed by a manager that they would not be provided with safety equipment and if they wanted, they would have to purchase masks and gloves out of their own pockets.
"The employees expressed fear at contracting Covid-19, having to deal with people who were possibly sick without protective gear.
An employee who asked to remain anonymous for fear of losing his job, said: “I am worried that I might contract the disease and my family will be affected too.
"We are exposed to this disease because we deal with people every day and you never know if the person you are helping has it or not and we are always in close contact with customers. Our health is at risk.”
Shoprite said in a statement that the use of masks and gloves were not encouraged, with the exception of pharmacy employees.
“While gloves can protect hands from coming into contact with the liquid droplets from the virus, the droplets will still stay on the gloves.
"This increases the risk of catching the virus as people may touch their face or food with their gloves, and risk passing it on to others. The mask is not an effective barrier to prevent infection and may even retain germs that can cause illness,” the retailer said.
Woolworths, meanwhile, said it had hand sanitiser in store for staff and customers to use.
“Our staff are constantly updated on developments on the outbreak and we have provided guidance and training on personal hygiene and prevention measures.
“We have increased the number of hand sanitisers in store for use by both our customers and our employees. Hand sanitisers will be present at the entrance to each store, at the entrance to the checkout queues and each till point.
“Extra trolley wipes are being provided as well as additional hygiene interventions for the store environment. Our stores are cleaned thoroughly every day with a further ‘deep clean’ once a week,” said Woolworths.
Pick n Pay spokesperson Janine Caradonna said staff are required and reminded to sanitise their hands every 20 minutes.
“We have introduced floor decals to keep customers at a 1.5m safe distance from each other, and clear signs are up in our stores to remind them.
"Our stores will take the necessary measures to limit the people in store if required to ensure the well-being of staff and customers,” said Caradonna.
South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (Saccawu) secretary Mike Sikani urged retail shops to prioritise the health of staff.
“The silence around the fate of workers is deafening, as is the case around their ability to also survive the pandemic while also (being) able to fulfil their financial obligations.”