Firms take steps to safeguard staff, customers

South African business has moved to safeguard employees and customers from the spreading coronavirus.

Pick n Pay chief executive Richard Brasher said the group would “never increase the prices of key products just because they are in demand”.

It also announced a special “pensioners’ shopping hour on Wednesdays from 7am-8am”, starting today. “Shoppers aged over 65 will have exclusive use of the store.”

Shoprite said it was committed to adhere to the strict measures put in place by the government following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement of “a national state of disaster”.

Shoprite was “tracking the guidelines and advisory updates of the World Health Organisation, the National Institute of Communicable Diseases and participating in discussions with the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa, which facilitates guidance to the retail and wholesale industry on shared challenges”.

Shoprite had put in place new procedures, including “special arrangements for conducting meetings and receiving visitors at our offices; and information campaigns to employees at store and office level, to ensuring adequate quantities on products in high demand as a result of the escalating number of people testing positive for Covid-19.

“Where needed, contingency plans are being put in place to ensure the availability of stock from suppliers and the timeous replenishment of our stores as volume sales are now spiking on certain products.”

Woolworths said its “staff are consistently 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 our customers and our employees,” the company said.

Anglo American Platinum said it was screening all visitors to assess health and recent travel history, and some restrictions had been place on visitors to offices and mining operation.

Non-essential employee travel to high-risk countries and non-essential domestic travel had been cancelled. It was also enforcing self-isolation and testing of employees, contractors and service providers who have travelled to high-risk countries recently.

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