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On Thursday, May 28, during a National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) briefing, Minister of Trade and Industry Ebrahim Patel gave the green light for domestic workers to return to work as of June 1.

While some employers continued to pay domestic workers during the national lockdown, many didn’t, leaving thousands of people without an income over the past two months.

Domestic work is one of the hardest sectors in the country to regulate due to the private and personal nature of the work.

A home is not commonly thought of as a business, and while the employer/employee relationship is implied, it’s not always perceived by employers in the same way that they’d navigate this same relationship in their own places of work, in the public sector.

Going forward, however, employers will have to rethink the private space to accommodate new regulations for domestic work during the lockdown.

The South African Domestic Service and Allied Workers Union’s Myrtle Witbooi told EWN the following:

“We are asking employers to make sure that workers have safe equipment at work to make sure that they are screened when they come to work. We also want employers to provide clean uniforms for the domestic workers along with a clean mask.”

The rules for domestic work are roughly the same as those for other businesses resuming work during the lockdown.

As Witbooi points out, employers are required to provide domestic workers with the proper PPE, including clean uniforms and masks.

The South African Government website outlines some of the safety measures that need to be in place, adapted accordingly:

• If employees have COVID-19 symptoms or have been exposed to the virus, they must know to stay at home.
• Similarly, if employers or any resident of the household has COVID-19 symptoms or has been exposed to the virus, they must inform the domestic worker so that they know to stay at home.
• Before returning to work, domestic workers must ensure that they have not come into contact with someone with COVID-19, or are themselves experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19.
• Employers must screen employees for symptoms of the virus when they report to work (cough, sore throat, fever, redness of the eyes, shortness of breath, body aches, loss of sense of smell, vomiting, fatigue, or weakness). Use an infrared thermometer to screen for a spike in temperature.
• Employers are responsible for furnishing their employees with the proper health and safety information, including sanitation protocols within the household.
• A positive COVID-19 diagnosis must be reported to the Department of Health. Employers must support any contact tracing measures initiated by the Department of Health. Workers are also required to report any symptoms of the virus to their employers.

It is recommended that masks should be worn by all people present in the house and that surfaces are routinely disinfected.

Other measures to take into consideration include:

• Staggering work hours so that domestic workers don’t need to travel during peak times when public transport is at its most congested.
• Taking extra precautions of the domestic worker is over the age of 60, or has a condition that could place them at higher risk of infection or complications arising out of infection such as TB or HIV.

Finally, this from BusinessTech:

While the regulations are not clear on travel permits for domestic workers, Davey said that the employers can use the prescribed permit to indicate that:

• The employee works for you in your private residence – including the residence’s address.
• You are their employer – including your contact information.

Additionally, if you are able to continue to pay your domestic worker without them having to return to work, thereby reducing the risks they face, please consider doing so.

Remember, your home becomes a place of business when your domestic worker is present.

Treat it as such.

[sources:ewn&gov.org&businesstech]