COVID-19: Home Ministry issues revised guideline for lockdown extension

The Home Ministry has issued revised consolidated guidelines for the extension period of the nationwide lockdown till May 3. According to the National Directives for COVID-19 Management issued by the Home Ministry, no organisation or management could allow a gathering of 5 or more individuals in public spaces; the officials in charge of public places, transport facilities, and workplaces should ensure the maintenance of social distancing as guided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Social gatherings at marriages and funerals would fall under the regulation of the concerned district magistrate. In the workplaces where conditional relaxation would be observed after April 20, temperature screening and hand sanitiser facilities are made mandatory. Workplaces should also maintain a gap of one hour before taking in workers for the next shift. The managers at workplaces should also ensure the staff are seated at acceptable levels of social distance, even during lunch breaks.

The National Directives for COVID-19 Management also stated that senior citizens and parents of children below five should be encouraged to continue working from home, rather than visiting the workplace. Workplace meetings in large numbers are not allowed. Workplace management should also ensure that the office space is sanitised between shifts. The National Directives also encouraged all the private and public employees to utilise the AarogyaSetu app.

The government has also made medical insurance for all the employees mandatory. Lifts at workplaces should not carry more than 2-4 persons, depending on the interior space.Workplace management should make special transport arrangements to ferry employees coming from outside. Such vehicles should only carry only 30-40% of the total seating capacity.

As per SOPs, the government lays a strict ban on the consumption of gutka and tobacco and spitting of the same. The management at the workplace should put up a list containing the names and addresses of the nearby hospitals licensed to treat COVID-19 patients available for the reference of the employees.

Manufacturing establishments are advised to make arrangements for frequent floor and surface cleaning facilities and encourage the practice of good hygiene practices.

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