COVID-19: Safe shopping and guidelines for store or workplace safety

Most of our retailers, businesses and restaurants have opened under level 3 of the lockdown in South Africa. Although there is a bit more freedom to move around, your chances of becoming infected can also be higher as traffic volumes have increased. Remember if you visit a shop, to practice physical and social distance, wear a cloth mask, sanitise your hands regularly and do not touch your face. Most businesses that have received the green light to open have to adhere to strict government regulations and guidelines. Most will, prior to you entering the store, take your temperature, take down your details and sanitise your hands.

When can a shop reopen after being closed due to a positive COVID-19 case?

As a guide, the store will need to be disinfected overnight before reopening. Staff should be evaluated for any COVID-19 signs and symptoms, and close contacts of the COVID-19 positive staff member sent home for 10 days quarantine.

Guidelines for store/ workplace safety

Use only a single (separate) entrance/exit as far as possible.
Keep doors open to minimise touching door handles.
The number of people in a store (including staff and customers) may be limited to one person per 6 square metres (i.e. floor meterage divided by 6).
When the store is full, customers will be asked to queue outside.
1,5-metre floor markings indicate where customers should queue. Shopping trolleys may be used as a means to maintain physical distancing.
Sanitise shopping trolleys and basket handles before and after use.
Anyone entering a store must wear a cloth mask and must first sanitise their hands.
If aisles are narrow, a direction of travel for aisles may be indicated on the floor.
Make a selection before touching an item/avoid touching multiple items.

Till points

Maintain physical distancing by using floor markings spaced at 1.5-metre intervals to indicate where it is safe to queue.
Perspex guards installed at till points create a barrier between cashiers and customers. Customers and cashiers should not touch these guards.
Cashiers and packers must sanitise their hands before and after assisting each customer. Additionally, the customer should also sanitise their hands before being assisted. The cashier should spray the hand sanitiser onto the customer’s hands rather than handing the customer the bottle.
If using your own shopping bags, remember to wash the bags after each use.
When arriving home, be sure to protect your family by wiping down purchased goods, with an appropriate detergent and disinfectant. Take care to wash fruit and vegetables with clean water.

Source: Western Cape Government https://coronavirus.westerncape.gov.za/frequently-asked-questions/frequently-asked-questions-how-prevent-and-manage-covid-19-infections