As a rule, in terms of the Regulations passed under the Disaster Management Act, everyone needs to stay at home during Level 4 of lockdown. But, while it is preferable to continue to work remotely and avoid face-to-face advice interactions under Level 4, not everything done by financial advisors can be done remotely. Some things may be critical and urgent and can only be done f2f.
Certain industries are allowed to operate outside of the home under Level 4 restrictions, particularly where such services are essential and/or permitted in terms of the COVID-19 Regulations. In our view, many of the services performed by financial advisors fall under the definition of essential and/or permitted services as described in para 2 of and/or para 9 of Part H of Table 1 of the Risk Adjusted Strategy Regulations signed on 29 April 2020. This is supported in a paper released by the office of the President in relation to the latest COVID-19 regulations, where the long term insurance industry and financial intermediation are indicated as low risk in the context of the risk matrix for business activity.
Before you operate from your office or see a client f2f, the Head of an Institution (the owner, the KI, or the sole proprietor) must make sure they meet the necessary requirements. Therefore, we recommend you take note of the steps below. The Level 4 Regulations in terms of the Disaster Management Act and the Directive on COVID-19 Occupational Health and Safety Measures in Workplaces go into a lot more detail, each business is therefore advised to look at these publications.
Continue earning CPD hours during lockdown
At Masthead, we aim to ensure that everyone has access to up to date and relevant content to comply with the CPD requirements. We have therefore taken great care to put systems, tools, and content in place so you can conveniently and affordably achieve your CPD targets.
Free CPD
Masthead understands that working towards meeting your CPD target may be challenging during this time. To assist you, we are offering free CPD hours with every issue of our Mastering Compliance newsletter from March 2020 until 31 May 2020.
Access your free CPD hours now
Webinars now available
A wide range of webinar topics are now available to improve your skills and earn CPD hours from the comfort of your own office or home.
Online CPD Package
If you need to catch up with your CPD training, the Online CPD Package is your solution to getting back on track to achieving your CPD training goal. The package has been structured in a way that gives you access to CPD training in a convenient and affordable way. All CPD hours earned through the package will automatically be tracked and logged in your online Competence Register.
The package offers you:
- Unlimited access to a mix of accredited content like accredited online courses, newsletters, articles, videos, and podcasts.
- Varied CPD hours, allowing you to earn between 0.5 hours and 3.5 hours depending on the course you choose to complete.
- Access to CPD content that covers a spread of categories required by the FSCA including technical product knowledge; regulatory, compliance and ethics; general knowledge about the financial services and economic environments; and business management and professional skills.
If you would like to purchase the package via a monthly debit order, simply email learning@masthead.co.za
To register for the package via an upfront fee, click here