According to JCSA CEO Lorna Lloyd, while you will be allowed to return to your workshops under Lockdown Alert Level 4 from 1st May 2020, you may not sell your jewellery, even online:
- Manufacturing jewellers are entitled to manufacture with a 30% staff compliment, but trading will not be permitted.
- Manufacturing retailers will not be able to trade on their retail platform as per Level 4 Regulation, however, they may manufacture. No dealings with the consumer are allowed.
- E-commerce and courier delivery of jewellery has been excluded.
- Neither retail nor wholesale will be permitted in Level 4.
The Department of Trade and Industry has advised the Council of the below clarifications to the Risk Adjusted Strategy Regulations of 29 April 2020 which will apply to all manufacturing jewellers who wish to return to work in May under Lockdown Alert Level 4.
In order to travel and be permitted to operate:
- Businesses falling under Level 4 must be registered with CIPC and are required to obtain a permit to perform essential services as indicated in relevant regulations.
- Sole proprietors are required to register with their local municipalities to obtain the relevant permit.
- Employees should be issued with a permit to perform an essential or permitted service duties. See Form 2, Page 27. If the employer is able to provide this form by email or Whatsapp this will be preferable. We have been advised that it will be highly unlikely that SAPS will take any action against persons attending work on the first day that don’t have the relevant documents.
Workplace Plans
Please note that you are required by law to draft a Workplace plan. See Section E, page 36.
Occupational Health and Safety Measures in Workplaces
It is of utmost importance that companies peruse this additional Government gazette in order to make themselves familiar with the requirements under Covid-19 regulations. In particular to Clause 20, page 10 in which employers must implement important health and safety measures.
Other measures include:
- Screening of workers and isolating of workers who present symptoms on arrival
- Social distancing or physical barriers between close workstations
- Provision (free of charge) of masks and other appropriate PPE and sanitizer with at least 70% alcohol content. Masks to be worn at all times, by company members and visiting public
- Disinfecting all work surfaces and equipment before work begins, regularly during the working period and after work ends and regularly cleaning and disinfecting all areas such as toilets, common areas, door handles, shared electronic equipment
- Disabling biometric systems or making them COVID-19-proof
- Providing adequate facilities for the washing of hands with soap and clean water and only allowing disposable paper towels for the drying of hands
- Ensuring adequate ventilation in the workplace
Additionally, all companies employing more than 10 must strictly comply with the requirements of this Directive including:
- Notifying all workers of the contents of this Directive and the manner in which they intend to implement it,
- Notifying all employees that if they are sick or have symptoms associated with COVID–19 that they must not come to work and to take paid sick leave in terms of section 22 of the BCEA.
- Appointing a manager to address employee or workplace representative concerns and to keep them informed
- Taking measures to minimize contact between workers as well as between workers and members of the public
- If a worker has been diagnosed with COVID-19, an employer must inform the Department of Health and the Department of Employment and Labour, investigate the cause, give administrative support to any contact-tracing measures implemented by the Department of Health
