Clicks preparedness re Covid-19 coronavirus

Pharmacy retailer Clicks announced on Friday 6 March that it will be holding all prices on hygiene products with immediate effect, following last week's announcement that South Africa had recorded its first positive test case for the Covid-19 coronavirus.

“We’ve seen an increase in sales of hygiene products, but we are keeping our prices unchanged,” says Rachel Wrigglesworth, Clicks Chief Commercial Officer. “We are working hard to meet the surge in demand and are putting in place additional measures to ensure that shelves are restocked as quickly as possible.”

As part of their preparedness, Clicks started communicating with staff over three weeks ago and have introduced daily training of store staff and pharmacy managers on general virus awareness and hygiene information.

“We will be placing trolley wipes and hand sanitisers at the front of stores and in the pharmacy for customers, have increased the cleaning frequency of our stores, and are encouraging staff to wash hands more regularly,” Wrigglesworth says.  “As a responsible employer, the health of our staff is of the utmost importance. Therefore we will also be giving flu vaccinations at no cost to staff members as soon as they become available.”

According to the World Health Organisation, the same kinds of precautions you’d take to protect yourself from colds and flu will also help reduce your risk of contracting a virus. This includes avoiding contact where possible with those displaying flu-like symptoms and practising good hygiene and health habits, such as washing hands regularly with soap and warm water. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth and if you cough or sneeze, cough into a tissue that you put in the bin.

For more information on the Novel Coronavirus, call the public toll-free number on 0800 029 999, or refer to the website and social media pages of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), South African Department of Health or World Health Organisation.