Any employee residing in a COVID-19 containment zone should
be allowed to work from home and not attend office till the time the area is
denotified and that period will not be counted as leave, the Union health
ministry said on Thursday.
IMAGE:
Devotees offer prayers outside Hanuman temple in Connaught Place, during the
ongoing COVID-19 nationwide lockdown, in New Delhi, on Tuesday. Photograph:
Vijay Verma/PTI Photo
According to Standard Operating Procedure issued by the ministry,
religious places inside containment zones shall remain closed for public and
those outside will be allowed to open.
The SOPs, issued against the backdrop of the government's plans to open
up the economy, say an entire office building need not be closed if one or two
cases of COVID-19 are reported there and work can resume after disinfection as
per the laid down protocols.
However, if there is a larger outbreak, the entire building will have to
be closed for 48 hours and all the staff will work from home till the building
is adequately disinfected and is declared fit for re-occupation, the ministry
said in its 'SOPs on preventive measures to contain spread of COVID-19 in
offices'.
Offices in containment zones will remain closed except for medical and
essential services and only those outside will be allowed to open up, the
ministry said.
According to the SOP, any officer or staff residing in containment zones
should inform the same to the supervisory officer and not attend office till
the zone is de-notified.
They should be permitted to work from home and it will not be counted as
leave period.
Hand hygiene (sanitizer dispenser) and thermal screening provisions
should be put in place at the entrances mandatorily and only asymptomatic
staff/visitors should be allowed, it said.
People above 65, those with co-morbidities and pregnant women are
advised to stay at home, except for essential and health purposes, and the
office management should facilitate the process, the SOP said.
All officers and staff will be allowed entry only if they are using face
cover/masks and these should be worn at all times on the office premises, it
said.
Drivers should maintain social distancing and prescribed 'dos and
don'ts' related to COVID-19.
It should be ensured by the service providers and officers that drivers
residing in containment zones are not allowed to drive vehicles, the SOP
stated.
The interior of the vehicles should be disinfected using 1 per cent
sodium hypochlorite solution/spray and the steering, door handles, keys, etc.
should be properly disinfected.
As per the SOP, routine issue of visitor/temporary passes should be
suspended, and visitors with proper permission of the officer they want to meet
should be allowed after being properly screened.
Meetings, as far as feasible, should be done through video conferencing
and large gatherings prohibited, it said.
'Offices and other workplaces are relatively close settings, with shared
spaces like work stations, corridors, elevators, stairs, parking places,
cafeteria, meeting rooms and conference halls etc and COVID-19 infection can
spread relatively fast among officials, staffs and visitors.
'There is a need to prevent spread of infection and to respond in a
timely and effective manner in case suspect case of COVID-19 is detected in these
settings, so as to limit the spread of infection,' the ministry said.
Listing the SOP, the ministry highlighted the need for maintaining
effective and frequent sanitation within the premises, with a particular focus
on lavatories, drinking and hand washing stations.
It underlined that frequently touched surfaces like door knobs, elevator
buttons, hand rails, benches, washroom fixtures on office premises and common
areas should be cleaned and regularly disinfected (using 1 pc sodium
hypochlorite).
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