Staff at the Joburg Roads Agency (JRA) head office will be permitted to return to the building from Monday, 8 June following a mandatory shutting down last week.
The shutdown came in light of an employee testing positive for Covid-19. The landlord has confirmed to the City-owned entity that decontamination work had successfully been carried out at the building on 75 Helen Joseph Street in the Johannesburg CBD.
All contact points and high-risk zones in the interior of the building have been thoroughly cleaned, including doors, door handles, tables, chairs, lifts, lift pads, kitchen areas, ablution facilities and electronics, among others.
“It has also been brought to my attention that a second positive case of Covid-19 was reported at the JRA Dobsonville Depot in Soweto. The employee is currently on self-quarantine. We are in touch with the employee to enquire about their wellbeing and that of the family,” says Nonhlanhla Makhuba, the MMC for Transport.
Makhuba says the employee visited the depot before the deep cleaning and sanitisation were done at the facility. As a result, there is no need to close the depot or to deep clean and decontaminate again.
“However, all employees who came into contact with the infected person will be referred for testing to ensure their health and wellness is looked after,” she says.
Makhuba has appealed to all staff to strictly comply with Covid-19 protocols, including the consistent wearing of masks, washing of hands with soap and water, sanitisation and maintaining social distancing at all times.
She encourages City employees not to ostracise their colleagues, who have tested positive for the coronavirus, adding that South Africa’s response to the pandemic has shown great recovery rates.
"Our colleagues are still our colleagues whether they have the virus or not. We can defeat Covid-19 if we are united and lend support to each other,” the MMC explains.
“#HlapaMotsoho. Together as the City of Joburg, we can beat Covid-19," she says.
