July 30, 2020

Covid-19 prevention

Under the Covid-19 emergency the awarenet program, which primarily works in two computer labs at the Joza Youth, have restricted the number of school learners using its lab to three per computer lab. This to ensure that learners are at least 1.5 metres apart when using the computer labs.

The awarenet program otherwise adhere to the following Covid-19 guidelines at its premises at the Joza Youth Hub:

COVID-19 Rules for the Joza Youth Hub, Ncame street, Makhanda

Updated 1 July 2020

1. Applicability

  1. These rules apply as long as the national, provincial or municipal government has issued specific regulations in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic which cover the municipality of Makhanda in the province of the Eastern Cape in South Africa.

  2. All member organisations of the Joza Youth Hub will need to adhere to the regulations when using the premises of the Joza Youth Hub. These include the Access Music Project, the Village Scribe Association Trust, Upstart, Rhodes Community Engagement, the Reading and Chess Club, the Toy Library (Centre for Social Development) and any other organisation which is a tenant at the Hub on an annual basis.

  3. During the period these rules remain in place no external organisation may rent the Joza Youth Hub for any activities.

  4. These rules are subject to change at any time should new information about COVID-19 come to light or the regulations issued by national, provincial or municipal government authorities change.

  5. Changes to the rules can be done by the COVID-19 committee referred to below. Member organisations are responsible for communicating the changes to their employees. The changes will be announced on the Joza Youth Hub Whatsapp group as soon as they are implemented.

2. Control of implementation

  1. The Joza Youth Hub will establish a COVID-19 committee with at least one representative of each member organisation.

  2. The Joza Youth Hub will in writing designate one employee from its member organisations to function as the COVID-19 compliance officer having overall responsibility for the implementation of the COVID-19 measurements at the Joza Youth Hub.

  3. In addition, each member organisation of the Joza Youth Hub will in writing designate one employee as a COVID-19 compliance officer within the organisation in question.

  4. The COVID-19 compliance officer of the Joza Youth Hub will be responsible for the implementation of the overall rules of this document.

  5. The COVID-19 compliance officer of each member organisation of the Joza Youth Hub will have the power to deny entry to staff and learners in the programs of the member organisation in question in accordance with the rules of this document.

3. Access to the Joza Youth Hub

  1. The main entrance to the Joza Youth Hub shall be locked.

  2. Learners will be permitted entry through the locked gate of the Joza Youth Hub by staff 15 minutes before the commencement of the learning program they are to take part in.

  3. Learners must leave the Joza Youth immediately after the learning sessions ends.

  4. Learners may be allowed to wait at the outdoor areas within the gate of the Joza Youth Hub up to 1.5 hours before or after lessons if they are depending on scheduled transport that dictates their arrival and departure times. Learners who wait in the outdoor areas must not engage in any social interaction with learners who are at the Joza Youth Hub for other learning activities and must not enter the indoor areas. Member organisations must schedule transport to minimise the time learners have to wait at the Hub.

  5. The body temperature of every staff member and learner who enter the Joza Youth Hub will be measured and recorded.

  6. A staff member or learner with a temperature of more than 37.3 degrees Celsius will be denied entry to the Joza Youth Hub.

  7. Every staff member and learner who enter will also be screened and denied entry if they answer yes to any of the following questions:

    • Travel to a COVID-19 high risk country the last 14 days.

    • Travel within South Africa to an area with high local transmissions the last 14 days.

    • Contact with anyone with confirmed COVID-19 the last 14 days.

    • Any current signs of COVID-19 related symptoms such as coughing, difficulty in breathing, loss of smell or taste and fatigue.

  8. If a staff member or learner is denied entry to the Joza Youth Hub in accordance with point 5 or 6 above the COVID-19 compliance officer who denied this access shall refer the person to testing or self-isolation.

  9. Every staff member or learner entering the Joza Youth Hub shall make use of a 60% alcohol-based hand sanitiser which will be placed next to the entrance of the Hub. Refusal by anyone to make use of the sanitiser will lead to the person being denied entry.

  10. If there is a queue outside to enter the Joza Youth Hub those queuing should keep a distance of 1.5 metres between each other. Failure to keep that distance in the queue will lead to the person in question being denied entry to the Hub.

4. General safety measures within the Joza Youth Hub

  1. All staff or learners must use a mask covering the mouth and nose at all times when at the Joza Youth Hub, from the moment they enter the gate.

  2. Staff and learners taking part in group activities or moving between activities will keep at least one and a half metres between each other.

  3. Every room which is to be used for learning activities will be sanitised in the morning before the commencement of learning activities.

  4. All windows must be open whenever a room at the Joza Youth Hub is used either for office purposes or learning activities.

  5. All communal equipment which will be touched by learners during the course of the day such as computer keyboards, instruments and books should also be sanitised before the commencement of learning activities.

  6. Each room used for learning activities shall have a 60% alcohol-based hand sanitiser present. The staff member facilitating the activity is responsible for ensuring that the learners and other staff use the sanitiser when required.

  7. Learners and staff shall use the sanitisers and/or wash their hands with soap for at least 30 seconds after taking part in learning activities where they have touched communal equipment such as computer keyboards, musical instruments or books with their hands.

  8. Posters in isiXhosa and English about basic hygiene and COVID-19 prevention shall be displayed in all rooms where learning activities take place.

  9. No learners will be allowed in the kitchen, only one staff a time will be allowed entry to the kitchen which will be permanently locked with a key.

  10. If learners are given food prepared in the kitchen by a staff member this food will be given to learners in the outdoor area within the Hub where they may remove their masks to eat, keeping a safe distance from one another. If it is raining during the meal learners may use the communal room ensuring that there is always 2 meters between each learner eating. Learners are to sanitise hands after putting back on their masks.

  11. Staff members are also encouraged to eat outside. If staff members choose to eat inside the office they might do so when they are alone in the office and must consequently clean all surfaces they might have touched during the course of the meal.

  12. Staff and learners should be encouraged to use their elbows or your keys to open and close doors. Whenever possible, doors should be left open. Rooms should be aired regularly.

  13. All waste deposed during the day in garbage bags shall be removed to a dedicated spot outside the premises by the last staff member leaving the Joza Youth Hub for the day.

  14. The following items either in learning areas, offices or toilets should be disinfected with paper towels regularly by staff:

    • Door handles, window handles

    • Taps, soap dispenser, toilet seat, flush lever.

    • Light switches

    • Printer display and other parts of the printer that were touched

    • Microwave, coffee machine, kettles

    • Waste bin lids

Staff and use of offices and kitchen.

  1. As far as possible employees or volunteers of member organisations of the Joza Youth Hub who can do their work from home should do so. All administrative work should therefore as far as possible be done from home, employees should in general only be at the Hub when they need to interact with learners.

  2. If any staff or volunteer does not feel safe coming to the Joza Yough Hub due to his/her health status or other circumstances affecting health the person in question will not be compelled to do so and not penalised by the member organisation where she or he is working.

  3. Physical meetings between employees or volunteers of member organisations of the Joza Youth Hub should be avoided, such meetings should as far as possible be done through digital communication.

  4. Employees or volunteers of member organisations of the Joza Youth Hub who have health issues which might put them at a higher risk of complications if infected with COVID-19 should be encouraged to always work from home. Whenever staff is needed at the Hub employees without health issues putting them at risk should be chosen in preference to those with health issues putting them at risk.

  5. Employees or volunteers should be encouraged to disclose such health issues as mentioned in 3 to the COVID-19 functionary within their organisation. The COVID-19 functionary must not divulge information of such health issues to other staff members.

  6. Employees or volunteers of member organisations of the Joza Youth Hub who are more than 60 years old should be encouraged to always work from home. Whenever staff is needed at the Hub employees under the age of 60 years old should be chosen in preference to those who are more than 60 years old.

  7. While working in the office, everyone has to keep the minimum distance of 1.5 meters to other colleagues and their desks. Extra care has to be taken when having personal conversations as one then naturally tends to move closer.

  8. If not absolutely necessary staff should avoid entering offices of other colleagues. When entering the corridor, staff should wait for other colleagues to clear beforehand.

  9. Before entering the kitchen, a staff member shall wash his or her hands for 30 seconds with soap.

  10. All food items that have to be stored in the fridge need to be placed in closable containers and clearly marked with the owner’s name.

  11. After making food using the kitchen, a staff member must wash his or her hands for 30 seconds with soap.

  12. All staff members need to clean after themselves after the use of the kitchen. Extra care has to be taken that all used items are thoroughly cleaned and packed away afterwards. Surfaces have to be wiped and disinfected after use.

Member organisation responsibilities.

    1. Each member organisation must ensure it has the relevant permissions to operate in terms of the Alert Level regulations, and the relevant paperwork in place. Each partner must provide each of its employees with a permit to perform an essential or permitted service.
    2. Each member organisation must ensure that its COVID-19 compliance officer keep its employees up to date about the regulations and train them in how to comply with the rules rules.
    3. Each member organisation is responsible for determining age and comorbidity status of its employees and putting relevant measures in place for their protection as per the government COVID-19 regulations.
    4. Each member organisation is responsible for determining the comorbidity status of its learners and for putting relevant measures in place for their protection as per the government COVID-19 regulations.
    5. Each member organisation will designate (an) employee(s) or volunteer(s) for access control of learners and/or staff who will be responsible for dispensing the hand sanitiser, checking masks, screening (temperature and questions) and recording the information. Partners must keep well-ordered records in a secure place.
    6. Each member organisation must do a training session with its learners in order to make sure learners are aware of the Joza Youth Hub rules and comply with them.