The Department of Labour is to put a number of interventions in place to minimize the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on workers.
The regulations on compensation for occupationally- acquired COVID-19 include extended paid sick leave for workers not currently covered by sick leave provisions to a maximum of three weeks.
According to the government notice signed by the Compensation Commissioner, Vuyo Mafata, workers who contract the virus at their workplace will be supported through the Compensation Fund and Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) for sick benefits.
Government plans to extend UIF for up to three months for registered workers who are laid off or quarantined as a result of the corona virus.
In the event that an employee is required to be quarantined for longer than 14 days, government is proposing for that leave to be recognised as special leave.
The employee will also be eligible to apply for unemployment insurance benefits.
The proposal also talks to death benefits where it’s proposing a reasonable burial expense and benefits pensions to be paid should an employee die of COVID-19 complications.
The last time President Ramaphosa addressed the nation was last week Sunday when he announced a raft of measures to try and contain the spread of the COVID-19 in South Africa, including a national state of disaster.
Addressing the nation, he said this will help in combating the spread of the virus.
The video below outlines safety measures to deal with the coronavirus:
Ramaphosa said the cabinet had decided to enforce travel bans on foreign nationals from high-risk countries such as Italy, Iran, Spain, South Korea, the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), Germany and China.
The ban was effective from 18 March 2020.
According to the Department of Health’s latest update, South Africa now has 240 confirmed cases in total which broke out in China in November 2019.
The virus has since spread to different countries globally.
Below is a Live Tracking of the cases, death toll and other information, updated daily:
