Spar in Mpumalanga installs ‘sneeze shields’ to protect staff, customers from coronavirus

Another Spar, this time in Malalane, took some extra measures to ensure its workers’ and customers’ safety and social distancing during the current coronavirus lockdown, reports Lowvelder.

This comes after Minister Ebrahim Patel announced new regulations to flatten the curve.

After the announcement, the owner of Spar Malalane Lex Hollmann decided to take the extra step to ensure the safety of his workers and his shoppers by installing sneeze shields at every pay point.

Hollmann said he first got the idea when he saw it at another Spar in Johannesburg.

Sneeze shields being installed at a Spar in Malalane. Images: Lowvelder

He said it would protect both customers and workers, and to stop the travel of any droplets in the air.

Hollmann said it amazed him how dirty sneeze shields were after each day and so sanitised and cleaned them frequently to ensure the best results.

He said these shields were offered to all Spar outlets, and they cost him about R32,000 to be installed, but no amount of money was too much when it comes to the safety of his workers and shoppers. The shield is placed between the cashier and the customer.

During Patel’s briefing on Friday, he emphasised that queues outside retail stores must be shortened, and that the number of people in stores must be reduced to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

“We are having a conversation with the retail sector, police and in the command centre to see what sensible ways we can enable people to get the basic foods and goods that they need to avoid large congregations that can spread the virus,” he said.

The minister said trolleys would be given to shoppers as a way to create some distance between shoppers while waiting in queues.

Patel assured South Africans that all retail shops would stock their shelves and meet all the basic needs of shoppers.

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