CONSIDERATIONS TO PROTECT EVERYONE

I am sure that these thoughts are on everyone’s mind as we move to lockdown level 3 and then beyond. We have been told that on level 3 we may welcome our child minders and helpers back but will need to put protocols in place. While I have seen on social media various view points,  from people who have already welcomed their ladies to those who are working out how to do this and those that are saying no not yet. But for those who are unsure or who will be needing their ladies to come back what are some of the considerations that need to be thought about before hand?

Well for me I think that a risk assessment for both your family and her family would be a good place to start. We know that people over the age of 60 and people with co morbidity are most at risk, so it would be good to see if there are any such people in your immediate family or in her immediate family. We also know that people under the age of 60 with underlying issues are more at risk so check to see if there are any such people within both the families to decide whether the risk is too high for her return.

If you and your lady are happy for her to come back, have a good discussion about what the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 are and how if she has any symptoms at all she should not come to work. Do explain to her that we may all still catch our normal seasonal flu’s and colds but that we have to be extra cautious with any symptoms such as sore throat, dry cough, fever, body aches, diarrhoea,fatigue, conjunctivitis, head ache, loss of sense of smell or taste. More serious symptoms are shortness of breath or difficulty breathing and with these she should seek help immediately.

A very important consideration is how your lady will get to work and home again each day. The first prize would be if you could provide this transport for her or if you could organise private transport for her. Understandably in South Africa this may be more difficult so she may have to rely on public transport. If possible change her working times so she does not have to travel at peak hour times, in this way she may be able to social distance while on the transport. Make sure she is fully equipped with any personal PPE’s that you can get for her. I would suggest her mask, and a visor as we know the virus can be introduced through the nose and eyes as well as the mouth. I will be offering my lady some alcohol based wipes to be able to wipe down the area in which she will sit or you could get her some alcohol spray which can double as a hand sanitizer and surface spray and let her carry tissues or paper towel to wipe down seats, railings etc. A good hand sanitzer is a must.

Once your lady arrives at home you will need to perform some screening type tests. Make sure she has no symptoms of the virus and if you have a non contact thermometer take her temperature.  Let her change her clothes and either wash her clothes as the temperature of the washing machine will kill any bugs,  or hang them up outside as we know the virus does not like UV rays. She can wash her hands as soon as she has changed so make sure there is plenty of soap at each basin to wash hands throughout the day. Please also make sure to have some hand lotion at the basins as the continuous washing of hands, especially in winter can be very drying.

We know that the way the virus infects you is through time and intensity of exposure. So if you are in a confined closed up space with someone who has the virus,  you have more chance of catching the virus, for this reason I would suggest keeping good airflow through the home by opening up doors and windows. Try if possible to not all be in the same rooms together and while in the same house together make sure to maintain the social distancing rules if possible and both wear a mask. If she will be home alone then the wearing of a mask is not as important. Make sure to have a good hand soap, sanitizer and surface spray at home in order to make disinfecting easier and more effective.

As this virus is very unpredictable and we really do not know who is going to get infected and who is not, we need to be cautious but we need to carry on with our lives. We are going to come into situations where your lady may develop a sore throat which may end up just being a cold but she will not be able to come to work as she normally would have, so I also believe we should have some plan B’s and C’s in place for these eventualities especially if she is looking after your children for you when you are at work. If possible ask if you would be able to work from home if this happened, if this is not a possibility then try to make a plan with family or friends who could help you out for a day or two. I think that living with this virus is going to mean we have to try to be more adaptable in our working lives and if we can pre plan it may take some of the stresses away.

*** Disclaimer these are my own thoughts and I am not an expert. I have read a lot and feel that most of this is common sense but everything may not be 100% factually correct***

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