After a surge in positive cases of Covid-19 at the local Sea
Harvest plant, part of it was closed by the Department of Labour on Wednesday
17 June.
Saldanha is the biggest hotspot within the Saldanha Bay municipal
area, many of its reported cases linked to the fish factory.
According to the latest Western Cape Health statistics 74 new
cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the municipal area between Tuesday 16 and
Wednesday 17 June.
In light of this drastic increase the department temporarily
closed the fresh fish facility down to stop the further spread of the coronavirus.
Staff and their unions have been in talks with management since the outbreak of
the pandemic on safety measures at the plant.
“We have never had to manage a business through a pandemic of this
nature before,” Felix Ratheb, Sea Harvest Group CEO, pointed out. “We are all
trying to do our best to keep our employees safe and our businesses viable.”
The first case within the business was recorded on Sunday 24 May,
and afterwards infections increased by 97 positive employees out of a workforce
of 4 443. According to Ratheb, the bulk of these positive cases were in
Saldanha Bay.
Dr Silvio Morales-Perez, CEO of Vredenburg Provincial Hospital,
said fisher boats travelling between Hout Bay and Saldanha were a source of
many Covid-19 cases. Speaking during the visit to Saldanha Bay this month of Nomafrench Mbombo, provincial MEC for Health, he said many workers on the boats had come from the Cape Metro region,
specifically Khayelitsha, which is also a Covid-19 hotspot.
According to Terence Brown, Sea Harvest Operations Director,
management believes it has successfully managed the positive cases, thanks to its
comprehensive medical screenings. This includes temperature checks and
additional medical personnel, such as dedicated nurses and doctors, at the
local site.
“In line with our Covid-19 protocols, any person who exhibits
symptoms is identified by our clinic and sent home to isolate,” Brown said. “We
then send that individual for a private test to ensure swift action is taken to
facilitate rigorous contact tracing to curb the number of infections among our
staff adequately,” Brown said.
Covid-19 protocols and safety measures have been in place since
March at the Saldanha plant. Along with physical safety measures Sea Harvest
has also set up a call centre, from which staff in isolation or quarantine are
monitored and can receive emotional support.
“Unfortunately, our battle against Covid-19 will be our ‘new
normal’, as we do not know how long we’ll be dealing with this pandemic before
a vaccine is found,” Ratheb said.
