Empty Covid hospital speaks of success of aggressive preventive measures
Hangana Seafood’s makeshift Covid hospital is empty after the last of 14 crew members who tested positive, was discharged last week, healthy and fit as a fiddle.
Hangana Managing Director, Herman Theron said the company’s rapid response to the outbreak of the corona virus amongst its crew members, has paid off. Not a single life was lost. It also sent a strong message to all employees that their health and safety is of the greatest importance to their employer.
“With Walvis Bay becoming the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic a couple of weeks back, we quickly realised that extraordinary circumstances called for extraordinary measures. Like many other employers in the Namibian fishing industry, we needed to find ways to protect our employees,” said Theron.
The fishing industry’s ability to operate has been impacted heavily by the lockdown, from catch and processing, to a significant decrease in consumer demand.
Hangana and other fishing companies did not think twice about activating various plans to care for their employees. As part of the Hangana’s Business Continuity Plan, a fully-furnished isolation care facility was established at Hangana’s warehouse for those employees who tested positive, to self-isolate to reduce the risk of transmission to their families and colleagues.
The temporary Covid hospital was established in one of Hangana’s warehouses. The facility was inspected by the Ministry of Health and Social Services and certified as an approved COVID-19 facility for quarantine and isolation. The company’s onsite clinic nurses attended daily to the employees with health checkups and reported on their well-being, until every crew member has regained his health.
