Sindh govt issues amended advisory for working at offices

The Sindh government on Monday issued a health advisory for offices regarding COVID-19 with some amendments.

The advisory says the general administration will ensure effective disinfection of all the offices three times a week, especially the surfaces of installations, chairs, tables and doors. All staff will wear masks, and the general administration will ensure that all staff are provided with a mask to wear.

Thermal guns will be provided at the entrance of the department for taking all officers and employees’ body temperatures. No person with fever, cough, flu, shortness of breath and body pain will be allowed to enter the office premises.

The crowding of people will strictly be avoided. Every person may be counselled for keeping a distance of one metre (three feet) for seating. Social distancing messages must be pasted and practised everywhere.

According to the advisory, all persons including staff with cough, flu, body ache or shortness of breath and elderly people of more than 50 years and with comorbidities like diabetes, hypertension, kidney diseases, allergic, asthmatic and immune-compromised state are advised to remain at home.

All staff of essential services and designated and notified offices from time to time will remain on duty and or on call during the course of global emergency of COVID-19. All employees with travel history abroad are advised to ensure strict quarantine at home and social distancing for prevention of spread of COVID-19.

All persons at offices must perform hand hygiene frequently with soap and water or with a hand sanitiser. The general administration will install sanitisers within office premises and ensure refilling on a daily basis. The employees should strictly be advised to cover their nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing with your flexed elbow or use a tissue. They should dispose of the tissue immediately after use, and avoid spitting and touching your face. The same employee may be advised for home quarantine and testing for COVID-19.

The advisory further says that all the employees should also be advised not to smoke. There should be no office visit by any public during this emergency. However, in case of any public complaint, online public complaint portal should be circulated in mass media. On a rotation basis, one third of the staff should be allowed to attend office by ensuring all protocols of social distancing, infection prevention and disinfection.

The entire staff must be screened for symptoms before calling them to attend the respective offices. However, the remaining staff will be designated for home-based work or meeting through telecommunication channels, including Zoom, Skype or Videocon.

There should be a health desk for health education, screening and awareness regarding COVID-19 at the entry of each department. The toilets must be cleaned and washed regularly by ensuring disinfection protocols. The general administration will ensure this through deploying a sufficient number of staff for this purpose.

All symptomatic and suspect employees of the department must be screened and tested for COVID-19 as soon as possible.

The administrative head of the department is to forward a list of symptomatic or suspect employees with details (name, age, designation, address and contact number) to coordinator, EOC Sindh at sindh.covid19@gmail.com for sampling and testing at their home.

The advisory has been issued in line with the home department order dated April 14, 2020. In case of any query, people can contact the COVID Control Room. This is operational 24/7 for facilitation and guidance of the citizens.