What could go right with mitigating the risk of reopening in the time of Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the world in ways not seen for over a century. Not only are we fighting an invisible enemy, we’re fighting it with very little data and no experience overcoming a challenge of this scale. As at 14 May 2020, more than 4 million people worldwide have tested positive with the virus, of which a staggering 300 000 have died.
And while little is known of the disease, even less is known of its toll on the economy. Sadly, what is certain is that the very lifeblood of the South African economy is taking the hardest hit. In SA there are 550,000 small businesses, which employ an estimated 6-million people. According to Stats SA, between 45% and 75% of small businesses may not survive a lockdown of between one and three months.
Keeping businesses shut indefinitely is not an option. But – flipping the sing-song negative into an application of “positive futures”, as coined recently by Discovery CEO Adrian Gore – and rather planning for what could go right in the reopening of the economy, is a shift in perspective that Khusa Consulting is largely in favour of.
“If South Africa’s economy remains on ice indefinitely, we cannot pretend to be resilient enough to overcome the catastrophic impact this will have on small business in particular – which is the nucleus of job creation in our country,” says Tyrone Farinha, Executive Director of Khusa Consulting.
“The risk-adjusted approach is a sensible one to what is a very difficult problem – however, considering the unknown trajectory of the spread and the slow speed at which data is trickling in, the method could take a long time to implement. Time that businesses in retail, hospitality and tourism industries do not have,” claims Farinha.
So how do we bring our employees back to work in the fastest possible time, with the least amount of risk?
The KHUSA team believe in a plausible positive approach, with four ‘plausible positives’ that will deliver risk-minimised impact – resulting in, possibly, the only solution for a crying country that’s economy was ailing long before the epidemic struck.
Plausible Positive 1: Bring younger workers back first
While the SA government is adopting a risk-adjusted approach to getting South Africans back to work with a 20% or 30% infiltration strategy per business, certain areas in the country and specific industries will be phased in according to the risk of infections spreading in those particular areas and workplaces.
“This again places an obstruction in the start-up of the economy. We now know that between 80% and 90% of all Covid-19 deaths occur in those aged 60 and above and/or with compromised health issues, making the most sense therefore to remove the percentages of infiltration and rather reinstate the younger, fitter, able and accessible employees first,” says Farinha.
Reports dictate that the mortality rate of 8% for people older than 80 contrasts with less than 0.1% for those younger than 50.
“We have to accept that – to echo Adrian Gore’s sentiments again ‘not everyone is created equal in the eyes of Covid-19’ – and with that comes a dire call to jumpstart our economy with working class citizens that are risk-reduced, and can breathe life back into our suffering commerce,” says Farinha.
Plausible Positive 2: Follow ‘stop the spread’ safety protocols
Space management, PPE provision and hygiene and sanitation protocols, strictly adhered to, will create an environment within which work can happen. “This is a plausible positive that reduces the risk of infection and builds worker confidence in our colleagues, our work culture and our business leaders.
Staff can work on a rotational basis; protective screens can be built; and markers placed on the floor to facilitate social distancing are corrective measures that mitigate risk.
Plausible Positive 3: Encourage Innovation, not suffocation
As was the case in world wars, the pandemic will, and already is, returning the focus to society’s welfare and cohesion as the world is forced to come together in the face of collectively experienced hardship.
It might not look so now, but the Covid crisis could lead to rapid innovation and a renewed sense of morality and equality.
“If there was encouragement from our government to innovate, it is plausible that South Africa can and will birth a new hub of business minds, and entrepreneurs that will remedy the ailments of our economy in triple the time; we could mitigate the inevitable downturn more rapidly if our focus were a little less on what we “can’t do” and a little more on “what we still can do,” ends Farinha.
On Wednesday 13th May 2020 President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his umpteenth nation address, announced “Handshaking, hugging and kissing is a thing of the past.” A disturbing statement that millions of South Africans are in denial of, and still wallowing about.
“We are indeed heading toward a changed world both in the workplace and elsewhere where masks and social distancing is going to remain a feature of society for quite some time – but let us not allow the impending death of our economy to also become a feature, because we forgot to take a risk on what could go right in the face of adversity,” ends Farinha.
In light of adapting to a ‘new normal’ with ‘new benefits’ that better serve our workforces, Khusa offers a comprehensive “Get Back to Work Package” that provides Organisations with a detailed and legislatively compliant Covid-19-sensitive risk solution, to ensure the plausible growth of corporate South Africa. For a free online consult, connect with KHUSA on LinkedIn or at www.khusa.co.za
Who is Khusa?
Khusa Consulting is South Africa’s personalised risk management specialist, consulting in the impact-delivery of commercial risk, healthcare and retirement funding benefits. KHUSA is constantly striving to provide innovative and relevant benefit solutions to corporate South Africa. The company has an unmatched, personalised and positive approach to corporate insurance and medical benefit policies, and assists with rapid response to best business practice in the time of Covid-19.