Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002)NoticesDirections regarding measures to prevent and combat the spread of COVID-19 i.t.o. the return of children to ECD programmes, in Partial Care Facilities, Old Age Homes and Frail Care Facilities6. Screening |
| (1) | An ECD programme or partial care facility must conduct screening in accordance with the Department of Health Guidelines. |
| (2) | A person who enters the premises where an ECD programme or partial care facility operates, must be screened to ascertain whether such a person has any of the observable symptoms associated with COVID-19 such as fever, cough, sore throat, redness of eyes, shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing. |
| (3) | A person who has any of the symptoms referred to in subdirection (2) or who experiences additional symptoms such as body aches, loss of smell or loss of taste, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, weakness or tiredness, while at an ECD programme or partial care facility, must immediately report such symptoms to the manager of the centre or facility. |
| (4) | If a person has or displays the symptoms referred to in subdirections (2) and (3), or informs the manager of the centre or partial care facility of having such symptoms, the manager of the ECD programme or partial care facility must— |
| (a) | not permit the person to enter the premises; or |
| (b) | where the person concerned is a child, not permit the child to enter the premises, except where the child is not accompanied by a parent or legal guardian in which case the child may enter the premises and must then be dealt with in the same manner as outlined in paragraph (c); or |
| (c) | if the person is already on the premises of an ECD programme or partial care facility— |
| (i) | immediately isolate the person and require that person to make arrangements, or in the case of a child, advise the parent or guardian, to make arrangements for the child, to be transported from the premises in a manner that does not place any other person or members of the public at risk, in order to either be self-isolated or be taken for a medical examination or testing; |
| (ii) | assess the risk of transmission, disinfect the area and any staff member's workstation or area where the child participated in learning activities, refer those persons who may be at risk for screening and take any other appropriate measure to prevent possible transmission; and |
| (iii) | inform the parent or legal guardian of a child without delay. |
| (5) | If a person has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and isolated in accordance with the Department of Health Guidelines, an ECD programme or partial care facility may allow the return of such a person to the ECD programme or partial care facility only if such a person has— |
| (a) | undergone a medical evaluation in line with the Regulations; and |
| (b) | tested negative for COVID-19 or after a period of 10 days isolation no longer shows any symptoms. |
| (6) | If, on the advice and direction of the Department of Health, an ECD programme or a partial care facility is directed to close due to the risk of transmission of COVID-19, the ECD programme or partial care facility must close immediately and— |
| (a) | inform all parents immediately of such a closure; |
| (b) | inform the provincial department of social development in writing of such closure within 24 hours; |
| (c) | adhere to the conditions and measures prescribed by the Department of Health with regard to the closure and the disinfection of all areas and equipment; and |
| (d) | only reopen in terms of the health protocols. |