Covid-19 patients can only return to work after 14-day isolation, medical exam – Govt
South Africa's employment and labour department on Thursday stressed that workers who had been diagnosed with Covid-19 could only return to their jobs after completing 14 days of self-isolation and undergoing a medical examination.
The department issued its statement in the wake of local media reports suggesting that Covid-19 patients no longer needed to test negative to resume work.
In a statement, the department’s chief inspector for health and safety Tibor Szana said this was not correct.
"In terms on the new directions, if a worker has been diagnosed with Covid-19 and isolated in accordance with the ... guidelines, an employer may only allow a worker to return on conditions that, the worker has completed the mandatory 14 days of self-isolation," Szana said.
In addition, such workers must undergone medical evaluation confirming fitness to work if they had moderate or severe illness in relation to the coronavirus.
Szana said the employees were also required to wear a surgical mask at least for the period of 21 days from the date of diagnosis "in their interest and the best interest of those around them especially".
The new directive also states that those who have been in contact at the workplace with those diagnosed with Covid-19 must have their exposure assessed to ascertain the risk of transmission.
“If there is low risk exposure, the employer may permit the worker to continue working using a cloth mask complying with standard precautions and, the workers symptoms must be monitored for 14 days from the first contact," said Szana.
“If there is high risk of exposure the worker must remain in quarantine for 14 days, and the employer of that worker must place the worker on sick leave."
Comments
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation