Tobacco Industry Guidelines on COVID-19 preventative leasures during and lost lockdown period have been published to assist farmers to market their product in a safe environment.
Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board
Tobacco Industry Guidelines on COVID-19 Preventative Measures During Post Lockdown Period
- PREAMBLE
- The following recommendations were agreed upon by the tobacco industry.
- The guidelines are subject to immediate change should the prevailing or developing situation warrant it.
- These are minimal requirements and stakeholders are encouraged to draw up more stringent ones.
- Any tobacco sales point that fails to adhere to these guidelines will be closed immediately.
GENERAL GUIDELINES ON 2020 SALES PROCEDURES
- An awareness campaign will be carried out immediately by Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) to notify all farmers and stakeholders of these guidelines and alert them to the threat of the COVID-19 virus.
- All selling points shall actively spearhead COVID-19 awareness campaigns at their respective premises including displaying relevant posters and flyers.
- The TIMB will enlist all relevant authorities, which include the Zimbabwe Republic Police and local government authorities, to enforce the closure and removal of flea markets and vendors within a radius of 200 metres around the auction and contract sales floors ahead of the commencement of the 2020 marketing season on Wednesday 22nd April 2020.
- No farmer will be allowed to deliver tobacco for sale more than once per week.
- All tobacco sales points will provide toll free phone numbers for booking and general communication.
- The farmer shall be notified of his or her tentative selling time at the point of booking.
- Selling floors shall accept tobacco deliveries as from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm daily with trucks arriving outside the permissible time being turned away.
- Tobacco contractors operating decentralised sales points (outside Harare) are advised to encourage their farmers to make use of these facilities so as to minimise the numbers of farmers coming to Harare.
- Auction floors are encouraged to consolidate deliveries to minimise the number of farmers coming to Harare.
- A maximum of only two people are allowed on-board the tobacco delivery trucks.
- The “delivery today and sale tomorrow” policy will be enforced in full.
- There will be no banking facilities available at sales floors and respective banks will advise their clients where these services will be available.
- All tobacco merchants will provide to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board and to the relevant auction floor, a staff duty roster a week in advance and only essential employees with clearly labelled name tags will be permitted access to the sales floor premises and sales areas.
- Registered Shops and vending facilities operating within sales floor premises will restrict the number of customers within their area of trading to a maximum of 20 at any given time and to follow all general precautions.
- Floor marshals shall be deployed by the industry to ensure that these guidelines are followed and to ensure that any gathering does not exceed the maximum permitted number of people.
- Premises, and in particular areas that have high human contact and moving traffic, will be continuously disinfected before, during and after sales.
- No children under the age of sixteen (16) shall be allowed into tobacco sales premises and sales areas.
- The TIMB will coordinate and organise training of relevant personnel e.g. operators of temperature readers, by the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare.
- Each sales point shall have a designated isolation area in accordance with guidelines and recommendations from the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare. MOH&CC shall be engaged to give guidance on how to handle suspected COVID-19 cases referred to the isolation centres at the selling floors.
- TIMB will coordinate to ensure that suitable educational and awareness signs and posters are displayed in critical areas.
GUIDELINES AT CONTRACT AND AUCTION FLOORS
- Only essential persons may enter premises and will be screened (body temperature check) and their identification details recorded. The temperature check will be conducted by a MOH&CC trained individual.
- In the event that a person is found to have a high temperature, that person should be guided to a clearly signposted Isolation Centre in line with MOH&CC guidelines.
- Hand washing facilities, comprising of running water with either an alcohol-based disinfectant or soap, will be installed at entrance gates for use before entry, during and after sales.
- Entry into auction floor premises will be restricted to active buyers only, and non-participating buyers will not be allowed into the premises.
- Marshalls at auction floors will use the duty roster provided by the merchants and only allow entry to essential staff after checking and verifying identification particulars.
- On daily basis, a short-time gate pass (valid for a maximum of 2 hours) shall be availed to a person who has passed the body temperature screening.
- All grower sales sheets shall be available within 2 hours of completion of the sale.
- Non-booked tobacco will not be accepted, farmers bringing such tobacco to the market shall be turned away and prohibited from making a sale.
- Farmers, both inside and outside sales premises, waiting to conduct their sales shall be broken into smaller groups of less than the prescribed maximum of 20.
- Patronage of canteens and restaurants will be limited to a maximum of 20 people at any given time. The tables and seats will be set wide apart to maintain the prescribed social distance. The canteen within the premises will be disinfected continuously and also have the hand washing facilities available.
- The wearing of face masks is mandatory for all staff members for sales floors and buyers including TIMB.
- All sales points shall have at least a qualified State Registred Nurse on site.
CONDUCT OF TOBACCO SALES
- Growers shall have the option of not attending, and be encouraged not to attend their tobacco sales.
- Nominated grower representatives at the floors can make decisions on behalf of the absent grower. The details of the TIMB registered nominated grower representatives shall be submitted by the grower at booking.
- After classification and price determination, growers or their nominated representatives shall be allowed into sales arena in batches of 20 to conclude the sales.
- Attendance of a sale will be limited to one person per grower number per sale.
- There will be continuous disinfection of the premises.
AFTER SALES SERVICES
- Farmers will not be permitted to sleep over at the sales points and under no circumstances will sales floors offer overnight accommodation to farmers.
- The sales premises will be cleaned and sanitised during the night.
TOBACCO FACTORIES AND GENERAL OFFICES GUIDELINES
- Individuals are required to self-isolate for 21 days after travelling outside the country or coming into contact with infected persons.
- Wherever possible, non-essential staff members will be encouraged to work from home.
- Hand washing facilities, with soap or alcohol-based sanitisers and running water, will be installed at all critical points within the premises.
- All personnel will be screened (body temperature check) and their identification details recorded.
- Meetings will be minimised and preferably conducted online via skype or other facilities.
- The number of people attending a meeting will be limited to a maximum of 20 with a distance of at least one metre between participants.
- Spacious venues, that permit prescribed social distancing, will be used for meetings.