MASTER BUILDERS AND ALLIED TRADES' ASSOCIATION WESTERN CAPE
MBAWC INFORMATION BULLETIN | EDITION 25 | DAY 96
COVID-19 | UPDATE
Dear Members
As we come to the end of the first six months of 2020, we can only reflect on the year to date as being an "annus horribilis" for many. We have heard of the plight of our members who have struggled to stay afloat during the lockdown and although as an industry we have been able to resume operations over the past month, it has come with additional expenses and protocols which have made the resumption of work at times difficult.
On a more positive note, at the MBA we find ourselves at the end of our financial year and despite the turmoil and hardships our members face, we are heartened by the fact that our Membership renewals have not seen the drastic decline that we were expecting. We can only attribute this to the fact that, at times like these, having an advocate in your corner is the way our members perceive our Association.
And that is our constant striving - we are here to serve you!
If you have any suggestions on ways in which we can improve our services, we would love to hear from you.
We appreciate your support and wish you well in the coming weeks.
The conditions of Lockdown has impacted on our programme of scheduled interviews for Contractors applying for membership to our Association. Relaxing of gatherings is on the cards which will enable us to meet with these applicants and to then carry these forward to an Executive Meeting of our Association for ratification. The status of Probationary members will be addressed at this time as well. In the interim we will have to rely on Zoom meetings with our applicants as the way to keep safe and compliant.
Many
of our members have requested information pertaining to the definition of Close Contact. To this end, our OHS manager has put together a document which covers this in more detail together with guidelines on disinfecting workplaces. We also include a publication by the Department of Health on the general topic of Disinfection/Decontamination.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO VIEW THE FULL DOCUMENT
The Department of Health does not endorse or require 'deep cleaning' that involves fumigation, demisting or fogging. Nor does the Department of Health require such a 'certificate of cleaning'.
7. National Department of Health. Guidance note for workplaces in the event of identification of a COVID-19 positive employee (V5: 14 May 2020). Available from:
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has warned that South Africa is on the verge of facing a spike in coronavirus cases and related deaths which means another hard lockdown "may become necessary".
Speaking to Talk Radio 702 morning host Bongani Bingwa on Tuesday, Mkhize said things were "getting tough".
"I wish I could say otherwise. We have warned that the surge will come, [especially] in the winter months. I'm afraid the numbers are increasing and we need people to be aware and take all the necessary precautions to try and protect ourselves."
Gauteng could see 'intermittent lockdown' as Covid-19 peak looms - Masuku
The Gauteng provincial government says it may possibly look at "intermittent lockdowns" as the province prepares for a peak in Covid-19 cases.
Intermittent lockdowns will see the province opening up and then closing the economy for a particular period of time, Health MEC Bandile Masuku told News24 on Monday.
Masuku was speaking on the sidelines following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with car manufacturer BMW South Africa and the German government.
