Novalis House has shared how they will operate following the announcement of the state of disaster due to the coronavirus outbreak.
General manager of the organisation Mary Owen said, “Following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement of the State of Disaster on Sunday night, the management and board has thought long and hard about how to proceed with our programmes at Novalis House, and have sought advice from the Department of Social Development and Environmental Health, to guide us in making the decisions around our facilities.”
This has led to a decision to follow the protocol regarding schools and to close the workshop programme for people attending on a daily basis. Owen said that the workshop programme will continue as usual for residents and weekends will be spent enjoying recreational time and hobbies.
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Owen said that the residence will continue to operate as normal with preventative measures and protocols implemented to minimise the risk of the coronavirus spread into the Novalis community. These measures include no outings or shopping trips on weekends and residents will not be able to attend church services on Sundays They have also decided to close the charity shop until after Easter and all visitors will be asked to sanitise their hands upon entry and exit. Visitors who have travelled in the past 14 days will not be able to visit the organisation.
“The Environmental Health Department will continue to provide advice, training and support and will keep us updated as to the latest updates from the Department of Health and the World Health Organisation.”
Since the president’s announcement, Novalis has upped its hygiene standards according to the guidelines provided, including installing hand sanitisers in the workshop and houses, all cloth towels in communal areas have been replaced with paper towels and there is regular education and awareness programmes for staff and residents.
“Should a resident present with any symptoms, we would seek advice and assistance from the authorities regarding testing and possible quarantine. With the residents of Novalis House, it will be very difficult to achieve self-isolation. We would have to look for guidance from the Department of Health on how to best manage such a situation, should it arise.”
The organisation would like to call on the community for any donations of paper towels, hand sanitisers and deep-cleaning products to assist them in this time.
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