With lockdown eased to level 4 and hopefully continuing to open up, managers have to prepare for open up shop. Here are post-lockdown to-do list guidelines and suggestions.

• Permits, where applicable
• Deep clean premises (public facing surfaces, multiple times a day)
• Order sanitiser at doors (preferable single entry/exit)
• Masks/visors for staff (or see through Perspex screens mounted on counters)
• Contact-less payment methods
• Email receipts/ invoices
  

• Gloves for staff (difficult to handle money with gloves but OK for back office/receiving)
• Floor markings for queues (1 m spacing)
• Social distancing training for staff
• Thermal scanners to check temperature
• Covid-19 tests for staff (at Dischem)
• TERS claims
• Insurance
• Laminated poster of government rules
• where Public toilets are available, touchless sanitary equipment (soap dispensers, air hand-dryers, foot-operated taps)

Image: Mohamed Hassan/Pixabay

Image: Harinath R/Pixabay

The Department of Basic education on 18 April, announced the postponement of the May/June Matric examination. More than 350 000 part-time learners some who did not meet the pass requirements and others who want to rewrite to improve their marks will have to wait until November 2020. [Read more]

Initially, employers lodged claims under TERS by emailing a designated UIF email address. However, to simplify and expedite the application process, the UIF has recently developed an online portal to lodge claims under TERS.

To assist employers in lodging a claim under TERS using the online application process, the steps to be taken are as follows:

Step One: Go to Website

Enter the URL https://uifecc.labour.gov.za/covid19 into any web browser.

Step Two: Register as User

Register as a user by clicking on the “Register” button which appears on the top left of the application system homepage.

The employer will have to register as a user of the online platform by providing certain information such as, for example, the employer’s UIF reference number and then create a user password.

Step Three: Login Using User Profile

After successfully registering as a user by completing and submitting the above information, the employer will be prompted to further login by entering their UIF reference number as their username and their newly created password.

Step Four: Register as Employer

The employer will then have to further register by capturing its entity’s details including, for example, their PAYE number and chosen payment medium. After having captured these details, the employer will click the “Proceed” button at the bottom of the registration page.

Step Five: Accept Terms and Conditions of Memorandum of Agreement between UIF and Employer

The employer will then have to accept the terms and conditions of the relevant MOA, which will be displayed on the screen, by clicking “Accept”.

Step Six: Accept Terms and Conditions of the Letter of Undertaking

The same process will then have to be followed in respect of the terms and conditions provided in the Letter of Undertaking.

Step Seven: Confirmation of Bank Details

The employer will then have to confirm their bank account details by uploading a PDF document of their bank confirmation in the form of a latest bank statement.

Step Eight: Capturing Affected Employees’ Details

The employer will then have to enter the relevant details of their affected employees, in this regard the employer has an option of doing so by either uploading CSV files (which are Microsoft excel templates provided by the UIF and which have to be converted to CSV files) or capturing their affected employees’ individual details on the online platform.

Step Nine: Wait for Email Confirmation

Once the above has been completed, the employer should be directed to a page providing: “Employee details has been successfully loaded. An email will be sent to client once a claim has been processed.”

Although this online application process is a commendable initiative on the part of the UIF in expediting the application process, the employer should be cautioned that it potentially removes the possibility of re-negotiation of unfavourable terms in the MOA by omitting a step providing an employer with the option to do so. Should employers need assistance in dealing with these issues they should seek further legal advice in this regard.

(With Permission from Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Law Firm)

The COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted the education of children and students globally. More than 120 countries including South Africa, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, have shut their schools. 

This means that more than half the world’s student population – 1,2 billion children – are forced to stay away from school and universities because of a virus.

However, schools remain open for younger children in Sweden. Singapore has halved class sizes, instituted strict hygiene measures, and staggered break periods to reduce playground contact. 

During the 2014 Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone the government provided educational radio programmes to listeners five days a week while schools were closed, maintaining a link to the curriculum for the duration. 

The Goodthingsguy published weblinks which Jean Parnell suggested learners can use to stay abreast with learning. However, not all learners have the means to access online learning.

Vodacom’s e-School platform is already used by almost 900 000 learners. E-School is free for all Vodacom subscribers and carries content in all 11 official languages from Grade R to 12. Content includes assignments, quizzes and learning videos that are fully aligned with the CAPS curriculum.

Unesco reminds us that back in 2015, Bill Gates warned in a prescient Ted talk that the greatest risk of a global catastrophe would be a highly infectious virus which we were not ready to fight.With restricted online access, the question is what can South African citizens, publishers and booksellers do to assist?

When this year’s edition of Kwazulu-Natal’s most popular literary festival (originally scheduled to run 16 – 21 March) had to be cancelled due to coronavirus fears, the organisers had to think outside the box. Participants had already been paid, and readers were looking forward to interacting with their heroes. According to Marlyn Ntsele, the conversion from a physical festival to one hosted across social media platforms, turned on a dime: ‘We did not give ourselves much time, because we did not want to lose the momentum. Luckily the festival was already active on most social media channels. We needed a day to brainstorm and make choices between all the options and applications we could use.’

The program consisted of a series of Q&A’s on Twitter, live interviews on Instagram, Skype interviews, live readings on Facebook, Facebook book launches and a number of workshop videos writers recorded from their homes. Participating authors included Remy Ngamije, Lebohang Masango, Shafinaaz Hassim, Refiloe Moahloli, Fred Khumalo, Siphiwo Mahala and many more. The audience varied greatly, depending on time, medium and writer. Some of the interviews had over 800 views, some much less. 

Ntsele does not  however think the format would work if customers are charged for entry: ‘I think the advantage of using a virtual medium is that you do not only reach book lovers, but also many people in passing – who may have never bought a ticket to the event – their interest in literature may have been triggered by us. Once we make events like these ticketed, we will miss out on this advantage. It would therefore only be sustainable if there is funding.’Another good thing about virtual events is the gradual collecting of an archive of interviews, perpetually available for re-use and for upload to one’s YouTube channel. Ntsele, however, believes the online version of the festival is too exclusionary to become the norm: ‘Time of the Writer prides themselves in organising many panel discussions and “meet the writer” events at community centres and libraries. Due to lack of internet access, these communities were now left behind. We certainly feel that festivals like this may miss many opportunities by not digitising themselves more, but, at the end of the day, that personal face-to-face contact with writers is way too important to make it the only way. Also the writers are normally so happy to, for a change, leave their spaces and meet the readers in person. To conclude with the words of Zakes Mda on Twitter recently: “If virtual Time of the Writers works successfully this year, please do not make it permanent after Time of the Coronavirus. We still need to hug our writers.”’