Empty hand sanitiser shelves at a store in Johannesburg.
Image: MICHELE SPATARI / AFP
Rationing may be imposed if South Africans do not stop panic shopping for fear of a coronavirus lockdown, after the announcement of government’s plan to curb its spread.

“The gaps which are now evident on our shelves and those of other supermarkets are because of the unprecedented demand as a result of fear over the effect of the coronavirus, but we have new stock arriving regularly and we are working around the clock to keep shelves stocked,” said Pieter Engelbrecht, CEO of the Shoprite Group.

He said there was an increase in consumer demand for sanitary, hygiene and baby products, dry pasta, UHT milk and tinned vegetables.

The unprecedented demand had made it difficult to eliminate gaps immediately on the shelves.

“May I appeal to our customers to please think before they buy and only buy what their families need, so that others are not left without much-needed items.

“If we all shop as we normally do, our stores will soon return to normal and there will not be empty shelves,” Engelbrecht said.

He said rationing the sale of certain products would become necessary if consumers did not stop stockpiling.Pick n Pay said its customers had been buying responsibly for the most part, stocking up on what they usually bought.

“Understandably, as they read and act on the advice they are receiving, they are buying more household cleaning and personal hygiene products, and we’ve seen demand for these products increase over the past week,” Pick n Pay said in a statement.

The supermarket chain encouraged its customers to continue shopping responsibly.

“Where stocks are temporarily low due to heavy customer demand, we will be limiting the number of certain products per customer,” Pick n Pay said.

On the national state of disaster announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday, Shoprite said it was committed to adhering to the strict measures put in place by government.Shoprite said the importance of strict hygiene and handwashing procedures, as well as the clean-as-you-go principle (where surfaces are, on an ongoing basis, cleaned and disinfected) had been reinforced with store personnel.

“Spray bottles with disinfectant have been deployed at all till points and are used by cashiers and packers to sanitise the entire till surface, including pin pads and their hands,” Shoprite said.

It said bakery products and salad bowls previously openly displayed, were now bagged or tubbed before being put on display.

Pick n Pay said it had put in place precautionary safety measures to help combat the spread of coronavirus.

These included advising customers and staff on effective hygiene measures, including frequent and proper handwashing.In its stores, Pick n Pay has also made hand sanitisers more available for customers and staff.

It said it would devote more time and resources to making cleaning regimes more rigorous.

Pick n Pay added that it was communicating with shopping centre landlords to ensure they put additional hygiene measures in place.

Western Cape police are the latest to be hit by fake news linked to the coronavirus.

In a statement on Tuesday, provincial police spokesperson Brig Novela Potelwa said there were fake reports on social media that a number of Cape Town police stations would close in the wake of Covid-19. The posts tell police to stay away from work until after Easter.

“The SAPS in the Western Cape wishes to refute social media reports doing rounds about the closure of a number of Cape Town police stations as a result of an outbreak of the coronavirus as fake news,” said Potelwa.“The police stations include, among others, Delft, Mfuleni, Kuils River and Khayelitsha. The posts advise police officials to stay away from work until after the Easter weekend. The management of the SAPS in the province views the social media posts as mischievous, meant to sow unnecessary panic and confusion.”

Potelwa said it was business as usual at all police stations. “All 151 police stations within the Western Cape remain operational serving the various communities of the province. Any SAPS communication pertaining to operations at police stations is disseminated through official SAPS mediums and platforms. Police officials are urged to continue creating safety and security among communities.”

She urged social media users to be vigilant. “Social media users are henceforth warned against posting untruths and advised to verify information before disseminating.”

The former EFF spokesperson said security guards and cleaners were at the centre of the fight against the virus and expressed concern about the terms of their employment, particularly with regards to medical aid.

“No other sphere of work in this country, historically, has been more undermined, despised and more neglected like the cleaners,” he said, before calling on employers to prioritise the wellbeing of their employees.

“The country will depend on the same workers to survive. We must fix this. End this hypocrisy as we fight the virus.”The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also called on society to show appreciation for the roles played by health care workers in ensuring the safety of communities.

It encouraged them to stay digitally connected to their loved ones as they may experience avoidance due to fear and stigma attached to coronavirus.

Municipal IQ has suggested measures local governments can put in place to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
Image: STR/AFP
As the first point of contact for people on the ground, there are several measures local governments can put into place to reduce the spread of coronavirus, said web-based data and intelligence service Municipal IQ.

Economist Karen Heese said municipalities could start by beefing up local clinics, which would most likely be hard hit once the virus hits strained areas.

“Municipal health services are likely to be pushed to — and beyond — capacity, and will need to co-ordinate with other spheres of government in working to keep communities well (for instance, ensuring access to TB and HIV treatment) to mitigate the spread of the virus,” Heese said.“It would probably be wise to ramp up facilities in anticipation of an inevitable influx of patients over the next few months, as well as to ensure that medical staff are well supported for the likely pressure that they will face,” she said.

Heese said items they could consider stocking up on now included beds, painkillers and face masks.

Medics have emphasised that hygiene is integral in preventing the spread of the virus.

Heese said it was time for municipalities to ensure water was readily available to all.“It is imperative that every effort is made to supply households with continuous access to potable water to ensure all South Africans can clean their hands and contain the spread of Covid-19 from interpersonal contact.”

As the first government point of contact, Heese said local governments held the responsibility of educating community members about the virus and quashing fake news about it.

She called on the government to urge communities to join the government-managed WhatsApp group, accessed by messaging “HI” to 0600 123 456. Printing and distributing pamphlets with important information could also be helpful, Heese added.

In accordance with the call from President Cyril Ramaphosa, Heese called on local governments to cancel large events, including protest action.

Ramaphosa has limited the number of people at events to 100 to prevent further spread of the virus.Pre-planned events need to be stopped if organisers plan to continue regardless of the directive. And, of course, cancel all but the most essential of council and municipal meetings,” Heese said.

Municipal workers should cancel all non-essential travel and those who could work from home should do so, she said.

As municipalities ensure the provision of essential services, Heese called on them to encourage the locals they served to engage with them through virtual services instead of coming to their offices.

Heese suggested call centres, WhatsApp groups, Twitter accounts and web-based inquiries.

“Where walk-in services are required, design spaces with queue arrangements that provide safe distances with regular cleaning protocols,” she suggested.

If people did come to the offices, the elderly and sick, who already face greater risk, should be served in haste.

Excessive buying has extended beyond hygiene products, as more people opt to buy food in bulk.

SA has 62 cases of Covid-19.

The People’s Dialogue founder acknowledged concerns, but urged the public not to hoard goods as this will deprive others. He said the scare must be approached with medical knowledge, not fear.

“Please, don’t buy more than is needed. There is enough to go around, but only if we don’t stock pile.”