The Ministry of Health has published SOPs for offices. (Representative)
New Delhi:
Any employee residing in a COVID-19 containment area should be allowed to work from their home and not to go to the office until the area is marked, the Union’s Department of Health said Thursday.
The period will not be considered as leave, the ministry said.
According to the SOP published by the ministry, an entire office building does not need to be closed if one or two cases of COVID-19 are reported there and work can resume after disinfection in accordance with established protocols.
However, if there is a larger epidemic, the entire building will need to be closed for 48 hours, and all staff will work from home until the building is properly sanitized and declared fit to be reoccupied, a the ministry said in its “SOP on preventive measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 in offices.”
Offices in the containment zones will remain closed except for medical and essential services, the ministry said.
According to the SOP, any officer or staff member residing in containment areas must inform the supervisory officer and not report to the office until the area is notified.
They should be allowed to work from home and this will not be counted as a period of leave.
Provisions for hand hygiene (disinfectant dispenser) and thermal screening must be put in place at entrances and only asymptomatic staff / visitors should be allowed, he added.
People over the age of 65, people with co-morbidities and pregnant women are advised to stay at home except for essential health reasons, and office management should facilitate the process, said the SOP.
All officers and staff will only be allowed to enter if they are using masks / face masks and these should be worn at all times at the office premises, he said.
Drivers must maintain social distance and prescribe “do’s and don’ts” related to COVID-19. Service providers and agents should ensure that drivers residing in containment areas are not allowed to drive vehicles, according to the SOP.
The interior of vehicles must be disinfected using a 1% solution of sodium hypochlorite and the steering, door handles, keys, etc. must be properly disinfected.
In accordance with the SOP, the regular issuance of visitor / temporary passes should be suspended, and visitors with the appropriate authorization from the agent they wish to meet should be authorized after being properly screened.
Meetings, where possible, should be by videoconference and large gatherings prohibited, the report said.
“Offices and other workplaces are relatively close environments, with shared spaces like workstations, hallways, elevators, stairs, parking lots, cafeteria, meeting rooms and meeting rooms. conference, etc. and COVID-19 infection can spread relatively quickly among government officials, staff and visitors.
“It is necessary to prevent the spread of the infection and to react quickly and effectively in the event that a suspected case of COVID-19 is detected in these environments, in order to limit the spread of the infection,” the ministry said.
In drawing up a list of standard operating procedures, the ministry stressed the need to maintain effective and frequent sanitation on the premises, with particular emphasis on toilets, drinking and hand washing stations.
He stressed that frequently touched surfaces such as door handles, elevator knobs, handrails, benches, sanitary facilities in offices and common areas should be cleaned and regularly disinfected (using 1 pc of hypochlorite sodium).
Adequate crowd and queue management, as well as standards of social distancing, should be ensured in the cafeteria and canteen, and staff and servers should wear masks and gloves and take other measures. precaution required, he said.
The seating arrangement should guarantee a distance of at least 1 meter between customers as far as possible, according to the SOP.
“If there is a large number of contacts of a presymptomatic / asymptomatic case, there could be a possibility of emergence of a cluster in the workplace. Due to the close environment in the workplace, this could even be a large cluster (> 15 cases) “, indicates the document.
In such cases, the essential principles of risk assessment, contact isolation and quarantine, referral and case management will remain the same.
However, the scale of the arrangements will be higher, he said.
The ministry said, however, that despite the measures taken, the occurrence of cases among employees working in the office cannot be excluded.
When one or a few people who share a nearby room / workspace are suffering from symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, the sick person should be isolated from others, the report said.
The nearest medical facility or state or district hotline should be informed and a risk assessment should be performed by the designated public health authority. As a result, additional advice will be provided regarding case management, contacts and the need for disinfection.
The suspected case, if it reports very mild / light symptoms during the assessment by the health authorities, would be placed in segregation at home while if it is assessed by the health authorities as moderate to severe, it will be treated in accordance health protocols in appropriate health facilities, the SOP. declared.
The rapid response team for the district concerned will be requisitioned and will proceed to the contact list, she added.
The actions necessary for contact tracing and workplace disinfection will begin once the patient’s report is received as positive, according to the SOP.
