GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Ever wondered what steps should be taken at the workplace when it is suspected that a person might be infected with Covid-19?
George Herald approached Johan Compion, manager of Municipal Health and Environmental Services at the Garden Route District Municipality, for insight.
Compion says if an individual presents with any of the symptoms, the ultimate responsibility resorts with him / her to report their health status to their place of work as a matter of urgency.
The person will then undergo a general screening process to determine their status and if they meet the criteria, they will be swabbed and tested for the presence of Covid-19.
The criteria / listed symptoms are as follows:
- Cough;
- Shortness of breath;
- Sore throat;
- Current fever;
- Body aches;
- Redness of eyes;
- Loss of smell and taste;
- Nausea /vomiting;
- Diarrhea;
- Fatigue / weakness;
- Direct contact with known Covid-19 positive person/s within the last 14 days.
Individuals who have been in close contact with an infected person have to be removed from their place of work and must self-isolate. According to Compion, defining what constitutes a close or a casual contact is of vital importance to be able to determine who the affected persons will be.
This process of determining the individual status of persons who came into contact with an infected person is normally undertaken by the provincial curative nursing staff or the company's own in-house nursing unit (e.g. Checkers / Shoprite group, Dis-Chem.)
Every identified person in the workplace must strictly adhere to self-isolation for the duration of the given period.
Upon receiving information of a workplace that has been compromised by a Covid-19 positive case, the municipal health services will immediately request the particular premises to make arrangements for the closure and disinfection of the premises by an accredited disinfection service provider.
When the disinfection process is completed, the particular company must provide the municipal health services a certificate to confirm that the premises in question has been disinfected.
All businesses must adhere to the protocol of disinfecting the particular premises and only reopen for trade the following day.
Non-adherence of businesses to the Covid-19 regulations can be reported to the department of labour and the relevant municipal health services within the area of jurisdiction.
Department of labour:
- George: 044 801 1200
- Knysna: 044 302 6800
Municipalities
- George: 044 801 9111 or 044 801 6300 (after hours)
- Uniondale: 044 752 102
- Knysna: 044 302 6300
Johan Compion, Garden Route District Municipality's manager of Health and Environmental Services.
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