Covid 19 News Updates 2020

Cape Town-based startup, OneCart , an on-demand grocery delivery service has announced a partnership with HP Store, a computer and electronics retailer, and bookselling chain, Exclusive Books . Expanding its current offering of groceries and household goods, OneCart will now sell products from HP Store such as inks and toners along with a full range of books and stationery from Exclusive books. In an official press release, Ariel Navarro, COO of OneCart explains that the partnership drives a wider range of products for users to choose from. We are delighted to partner with leading retailers Exclusive Books and the HP Store, and bring even more variety and value right to the doorsteps of OneCart users with the ultimate convenience and flexibility of same-day delivery. OneCart Founded in 2016 by an entrepreneurial duo, Ariel Navarro and Lynton Peters, OneCart offers consumers a personalised online shopping experience with a marketplace that offers access to a wide range of stores. Users can order items on the innovative OneCart platform and receive their delivery within a mere two-hours. OneCart collaborates with malls and retailers to ensure deliveries are completed within the day of the order to provide same-day delivery services that are convenient and flexible for users. Before the partnership with HP Store and Exclusive Books, OneCart focused on delivering groceries with retailer partners such as Woolworths, Pick n Pay and Pick n Pay Liquor, Food Lovers Market, Dis-Chem, Clicks, Jacksons, Mr Pet, Makro, and Makro Liquor. Navarro comments on OneCart expanding its range to ensure that a variety of products are on offer to users. OneCart is excited to offer customers new product ranges. Our vision has always been to be an all-inclusive e-commerce platform. Groceries were the obvious market entry point for us. Now, having grown our market share in this area significantly, OneCart is ready to increase its range to include books from Exclusive Books and ink cartridges from HP Store, and more. OneCart pushes integration OneCart aims for an all-inclusive eCommerce platform that will provide users with a wide range of products from multiple retailers. The expansion of the online marketplace will result in a decrease in the cost of online shopping and will add value to the platform as integration occurs. Navarro comments on what OneCart users can expect from the expansion. We are working very hard on achieving full integration with our existing retail partners ranges and adding health and beauty, pets, liquor, and general merchandise. We plan on becoming the premium go-to e-commerce platform in South Africa and hope to make more exciting announcements soon. OneCart aims to expand its delivery areas across SA. They recently added the V A Waterfront in Cape Town, and Cradlestone Mall and Cedar Square in Johannesburg. The expansion will also create job opportunities as there is a need for more people to shop and deliver the goods to OneCart users. Effects of covid-19 on OneCart covid-19 has brought along challenges and entrepreneurs, workers, and students operating from home have forced marketplaces to adapt and digitise to support the increase of online shopping. Stacey le Grange, Head of Marketing at HP Store explains that the partnership with OneCart strengthens the relationship with customers. With OneCart, its like having your own personal assistant who can dash out for ink when you run out so that you can finish printing that work report or school learning material. The partnership between OneCart and Exclusive Books is a retail strategy as SAs largest bookselling chain, Exclusive Books has a strong online presence that can accelerate the online marketplace, OneCart. Batya Bricker, Marketing, Loyalty, and Procurement General Manager at Exclusive Books comments that the adaption to covid-19 sparked innovative solutions to continue to provide books for customers. At Exclusive Books, we consider books an essential service! During the lockdown, we created and ensured five different ways for customers to get books, even if they were not able or comfortable to come into a store. These included a phone-in option, and of course, online shopping. Partnering with OneCart offers yet another convenient channel for customers to get their books.

EWN visited the Shoprite in Diepsloot, Makro in Woodmead and Greenstone shopping centre to check how Black Friday has been affected by covid-19 this year.

TikTok wants to help small businesses retain customers and attract new ones.

There are 3 069 more people who contracted Coronavirus in South Africa, which pushes the cumulative total of covid-19 cases to 778571. Meanwhile, 88 more people succumbed to the respiratory disease, which brings the deaths to 21 289. Of the latest fatalities, 33 were recorded in the Eastern Cape, 25 in Free State, 18 in the Western Cape, five in Gauteng and Limpopo, and two in KwaZulu-Natal. We extend our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the healthcare workers who treated the deceased patients, said Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, on Thursday. The Western Cape now has the highest number of active cases at 9092, followed by the Eastern Cape with 8909, Free State 6485 and KwaZulu-Natal 6167. The Northern Cape has 2728 active cases, the North West 1057, Mpumalanga 435 and Limpopo 316. Meanwhile, Gauteng is still reconciling its figure, as per the national Health Departments request. Officials from the Gauteng province have indicated that they are giving urgent attention to the issue of data reconciliation. In addition, we have deployed a team to assist them to resolve the issueexpediently, Mkhize said. The country has conducted 5 383 078 tests to date, of which 28010 were performed since the last report. The World Health Organisation is reporting 60074 174 confirmed global cases of covid-19, including 1416 292 deaths.

Cederburg Municipality manager, Henry George Slimmered, was on Thursday released on R20 000 bail by a Western Cape magistrate following his arrest for alleged corruption related to the procurement of covid-19 personal protective equipment (PPE). Slimmered was on Wednesday arrested by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) following investigations by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU). In a statement, the SIU said it had also laid a criminal charge of interfering with its investigation. This comes after Slimmered allegedly issued a memo instructing employees of the municipality not to cooperate with the SIU investigators, and to deny them access to municipal premises. The SIU raided the Cederburg Municipality offices in September 2020, in line with Proclamation No.23 of 2020, signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, authorising the SIU to investigate allegations of corruption and maladministration in procurement of PPE for covid-19 in government institutions and entities of the State, the SIU said. On top of instructing employees not to cooperate, the municipality took the SIU to court, claiming the Unit raided municipal offices unlawfully without proclamation but later withdrew the court challenge. As part of his bail condition, Slimmered was ordered to report twice a week at the local police station. He was also ordered to hand over all his passports to the investigating officer, always be available to a police sergeant, and not interfere, directly or indirectly, with the investigation regarding the obstruction and defeating the ends of justice. The Citrasdal Magistrate Court also ordered Slimmered not to intimidate, directly or indirectly, municipal employees, not withhold documents in possession of the municipality, which form part of the investigation and matters before court. [He is] not to communicate with municipal employees pertaining the SIU investigation and matter before court, the SIU said. Beyond this, Slimmered was ordered not to appoint an official who will communicate directly and indirectly with employees of Cederburg Municipality to carry out any or all official municipality duties and functions on all matters relating to the SIU investigation. The SIU said Slimmereds arrest and subsequent court appearance should send a clear message to all public representatives and public servants that any action that is aimed at interfering or obstructing the SIU in carrying out its mandate will have severe consequences. The SIU is a forensic and litigation agency tasked with the mandate of investigating serious malpractice, malfeasance and maladministration in relation to the administration of State institutions, State assets and public money, as well as any conduct which may seriously harm the interest of the State and the public, said the SIU.

The covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to strengthen governments risk reduction strategies and disaster management frameworks, systems and personnel, says Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. The Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister made the remarks on Thursday during this years virtual International Day for Disaster Reductionon Thursday. More has to be done to ensure that our overall risk reduction and disaster management strategies are multi-sectoral and create linkages to our broad development aspirations, said Dlamini-Zuma. Strategies, she said, must also find tangible expression at provincial and national levels, and must have all stakeholders involved, so that all of society can be active participants in prevention, avoidance and mitigation. The Minister said going forward, government must ensure that disasters do not result in loss of lives or infrastructure. Consequently, we must formulate active partnerships with the academia and throughout society, ours must be a data and information driven response, which is faster and more effective. Our strategies must respond to multiple hazards or disasters, and should have an early warning system. They must also be adaptive and effective. Dlamini-Zuma said now is the time to raise the bar and ensure that there are more resilient plans for future generations. The implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction with its seven targets and 38 indicators sets the foundation to do so. May we use this years International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction to take stock of where we are, so that we may enhance our disaster management architecture, Dlamini-Zuma said. covid-19, she said, has shown that any disaster affects everyone at varying degrees. This International Day avails the possibility to strengthen our individual, community, government and civil society contributions towards becoming agents of change in building a disaster resilient nation and communities. She urged the public to use 2020 to recommit to engaging in preparedness planning on an individual, organisational, and institutional basis throughout the country. We call on local and provincial governments to ensure our preparedness to handle any form of disaster. This will require sound partnerships between citizens, government and the private sector. Dlamini-Zuma reiterated that impoverished and unskilled communities will not have sufficient resources, safety nets and infrastructure to withstand any type of disasters. Unequal societies, she said, will not have the capacity to holistically develop and implement effective recovery plans. Consequently, we must not isolate our disaster prevention and management plans from our developmental aspirations. It is only empowered and economically developed communities that can anticipate, withstand and better recover from disasters. In order to ensure that we build resilient, vibrant, connected, sustainable and climate smart communities, we are implementing the District Development Model in all 52 district spaces. The building of such communities requires a developmental local government that is committed to working with citizens and groups within the community to find sustainable ways to meet their social, economic and material needs, and improve the quality of their lives, Dlamini-Zuma said.

Most Asian markets are marginally lower on Friday morning, with focus still on rising covid-19 numbers as the holidays approach

EWN visited the Shoprite in Diepsloot to check out Black Friday in the time of covid-19.

The day that is usually characterised by scenes of people rushing to shopping malls but appears to be different this year due to the covid-19 pandemic.