On 14 May, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition issued new directions on e-commerce sales during the level 4 lockdown, taking a positive step towards reopening the economy. All goods may now be transacted through e-commerce platforms except for liquor and tobacco products, e-cigarettes and related products. However, e-commerce is only allowed under strict health and safety protocols designed to safeguard the entire e-commerce supply chain and mitigate against risk of transmission of Covid-19.
The directions provide health and safety protocols for e-commerce retailers, courier and delivery services and customers.
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E-commerce retailers |
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Employees may not share face masks, equipment, stationary, utensils or similar items.
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Temperature screening
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Different payment options |
- Employees must be subject to temperature screening at the start of each shift and every 4 hours thereafter
- If an employee's temperature is 37,5 degrees or higher, the employee must be placed in an isolation observation room for a second reading
- The employee should be sent home to self-quarantine, provided with a surgical mask and not permitted to remain at the workplace if the second reading is also higher than 37,5 degrees
| - Consumers should be provided with different payment options aimed at reducing the risk of transmission (contactless payment being the preferred option)
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Disinfection guidelines
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Collection protocols and social distancing
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| Retailers must provide written guidelines to customers on how to safely disinfect goods before use | Collection protocols must be put in place to ensure adequate social distancing when goods are collected by courier and delivery personnel at the warehouse or depot |
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Goods to be sanitized
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Local producers
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| All goods must be properly sanitized before leaving the warehouse or depot | As far as possible, e-commerce retails must support local producers on their platforms to limit the social and economic hardship of Covid-19 on local industries |
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Courier and delivery services |
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Employees may not share face masks, equipment, stationary, utensils or similar items.
|
|
Temperature screening
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Hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes
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- Employees must be subject to temperature screening at the start of each shift and every 4 hours thereafter
- If an employee's temperature is 37,5 degrees or higher, the employee must be placed in an isolation observation room for a second reading
- The employee should be sent home to self-quarantine, provided with a surgical mask and not permitted to remain at the workplace if the second reading is also higher than 37,5 degrees
| Employees must be provided with their own hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes (which must be refilled daily) |
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Cloth face masks
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1.5 m distancing
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| Employees must wear cloth masks when collecting (from the warehouse/depot) delivering goods to customers | Employees must maintain a distance of at least 1.5 m when collecting and delivering goods |
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Customers |
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Cloth face masks
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1.5 m distancing
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| Customers (and all residents within the vicinity) must be wearing a cloth face mask when receiving goods | Customers must maintain a distance of at least 1.5 m when receiving goods |
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Goods to be disinfected |
| After receiving the goods, customers must disinfect the goods in line with the guidelines provided by the e-commerce retailer |
