Virus hits shops

Three from Woolworths in PE, one from Shoprite Humansdorp test positive

The Covid-19 pandemic has begun to strike the retail industry, with two large supermarket chain stores in the Eastern Cape having to temporarily shut their doors after staff tested positive for the virus.

Three workers at Port Elizabeth’s Access Park Woolworths food store and one staffer at the Shoprite store in Humansdorp have contracted the virus.

Both stores were temporarily closed at the weekend.

In Boksburg, 24 workers at a Dis-Chem branch tested positive for Covid-19.

The infections in the retail industry have raised concerns about the safety and prevention measures being implemented by the management teams at the various stores.

National Health Laboratory Service head Dr Susan Louw said news of the infection among supermarket staff was worrying.

“It comes at a time when we are hearing of fresh evidence globally that the virus is being transmitted by people who are asymptomatic,” she said.

“So the situation in big stores is obviously difficult and of great concern.

“There are more questions than answers, but what we do know is that we need to scale up testing so staff outlets like this and people generally can know their status and appropriate steps can then be taken.”

Some of the workers at the popular Woolworths shop — just off Buffelsfontein Road — blamed the spread of the virus on what they said was the negligence of the store’s management.

On Wednesday, an employee at the store tested positive for Covid-19. This was followed by a second person testing positive on Friday.

Then, at the weekend, a cleaner who Woolworths hired from a professional cleaning service also tested positive for Covid-19.

One worker said she was disappointed in how the store’s bosses had handled the situation since the first positive case became public knowledge.

“They know that we all use the same computer and biometric system to clock in to work which could have been contaminated.” She claimed that staff were only told about the results a week after the first positive case in the store.

“We were still open for business coming into close contact with other staff members and customers,” she said, adding that dozens of staff members who worked at the store.

The woman said she intended to get tested at Livingstone Hospital today.

A second worker said: “They said they had traced 19 people that were in contact with the first Covid-19 patient.

“However, the recent two that have tested positive are employees who went for a private test.

“I am really not happy with our management.

“For so long we worked without masks and gloves.”

She said a sign was even put up citing that masks did not spread the virus.

“We had to fight with them before they gave us hand sanitisers and only recently were we given plastic masks.”

She said when news of the first patient was revealed, staff were told not to worry because the person worked nights.

“But about a week ago we were all working the same shift with this person.”

Woolworths spokesperson Silindile Gumede said the retailer did not require staff to use gloves, which was in line with international practices.

“The safety of our people and our customers remain our highest priority.

“We have provided plastic face visors for all our front-line teams.

“We are sourcing a functional fabric mask for all of our Woolies people across SA and Africa, which includes over 45,000 people, with the priority being our front-line workers.

“Each of our employees will receive two fabric masks, a set of mask filters and a guide on the use and cleaning of this equipment.

“These will be rolled out to

all our stores across the country from next week.

“Hand-washing and social distancing remain the most important prevention strategies for coronavirus infection, which we continue to educate and inform our people and customers about and provide,” Gumede said.

Another spokesperson for Woolworths, Kirsten Hewett, said the company had consistently communicated to staff to stay home if they were feeling ill, even if it was not Covid-19 related.

“Over and above the department of health’s National Helpline, we also have implemented a 24/7 medical helpline where our employees can speak to an NICD [National Institute of Communicable Diseases] trained health practitioner to guide them if they have medical concerns or are feeling ill.

“Our employee [first infected employee] did not go on suspension.

“He went off on sick leave on April 6 as he was not feeling well.

“At the time, we were not aware that he was experiencing Covid-related symptoms,” Hewett said.

On Saturday, the Eastern Cape department of health welcomed the decision by Shoprite to temporarily close the Humansdorp store.

Health department spokesperson Siyanda Manana said the Sarah Baartman District health management directorate had met the Kouga Local Municipality and the management of the Humansdorp Shoprite store on Saturday morning.

“They met to discuss strategies and interventions to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 after one of their employees tested positive for the virus.

“The provincial department of health is satisfied with the explanation from Shoprite with regards to precautionary measures applied by the store — hand sanitisation of everyone entering the store, enforcing the wearing of face shields by staff, admission of only 10 people at a time and the usage of other personal protective equipment by staff and security while on duty.”

Manana said the department welcomed the prompt action from Shoprite.

“The store was closed with immediate effect when the management was informed on Friday that an employee had tested positive for Covid-19.”

This was done until appropriate interventions had been installed to combat the spread of the virus to employees and customers, he said.

“These interventions by Shoprite, the Kouga Local Municipality and the Eastern Cape department of health include the immediate screening and testing of all Shoprite staff and contract staff for Covid-19, and sanitising the store.

“Shoprite has further assured continued promotion of a healthy environment for its staff and customers by adhering to all disaster management and lockdown protocols and regulations.”

The Shoprite Group confirmed the situation yesterday.

“The Shoprite store in Humansdorp, Eastern Cape, was closed on Friday after one of its employees tested positive for Covid-19,” the retail giant said in a statement.

“The National Institute of Communicable Diseases and the Eastern Cape department of health were informed.

“The store closed immediately and a professional decontamination company was brought in to sanitise and deep-clean the store.

“The store will be reopened in consultation with the department.

“An employee-screening programme supported by the company’s mobile clinic has immediately been put into place.

“Those staff members who had close contact with the infected person are now self-quarantining for 14 days.”