Bhisho embarks on disinfection campaign as it braces for return of staff

The Eastern Cape provincial government has embarked on the disinfection of all offices, schools and clinics as it prepares for workers and pupils to go back to work and schools — soon.

Offices in Bhisho are being cleaned and disinfected, director-general Mbulelo Sogoni  said, indicating the deep cleaning will continue until May 31.

Sogoni said the provincial government still had to review its risk assessment, health and safety policies, develop a Covid-19-ready workplace plan and resource all state premises to be Covid-19-ready, before any decent operations could return to normal in Bhisho and all other provincial government premises across the province.

Sogoni said operations at all their offices would not return to normal any time soon.

He said employees would return to office only once all Covid-19 safety regulations were fully adhered to.

In correspondence this week to all provincial departments, seen by DispatchLIVE, Sogoni said disinfection of all government premises was set to take place between May 15 and 31 in preparation of workers' return on a date yet to be revealed.

Some civil servants, premier Oscar Mabuyane’s spokesperson Mvusiwekhaya Sicwetsha said on Thursday, had been at work since the lockdown was effected on March 26 as they were regarded as essential workers, while others had been working from home.

In his correspondence, Sogoni said the appointment and designation of departmental compliance officers would be done by May 4. The following day the review of the Covid-19 departmental committees would take place and on Friday a review of risk assessments and health and safety policies would be done.

On Monday May 11 provincial departments and entities would be busy developing a Covid-19-ready workplace plan, which should be submitted to Mabuyane’s office two days later.

On May 13, Sogoni said, the focus would be on development and dissemination of a schedule for a staggered return of employees to work.

Between May 8 and 22, they would ensure all departments and entities had personal protective equipment ready for the returning workers.

Between May 15 and 31, schools and clinics would be disinfected.

“We will soon have a meeting where all departments will have to report on the state of their readiness for the return of employees. This is where we will check who is ready or not.

“But if some of these steps are not met by a particular department, workers will not be forced to go back to work before all safety preparation guidelines are met,” Sogoni said.

His correspondence comes just days after national public service and administration director-general Yoliswa Makhasi issued directives on how preparations for the full return of public servants should be conducted.

In her circular dated May 1, Makhasi told provinces that all biometric systems should be disabled or made Covid-19-proof before employees went back to work.

She told departments: “In minimising the risk associated with the transmission of Covid-19 via documents, departments could consider alternative approaches to reduce dependency on paper. In instances where a paper-based system is continued, protocols must be implemented on how documents are handled, conveyed, disposed of and stored.”