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Friday March 29, 2024

Sindh makes wearing of masks, three-foot social distancing necessary at govt depts

By Salis bin Perwaiz
June 04, 2020

As per an advisory issued by the Sindh home department on the COVID-19 situation on Wednesday, nobody shall be allowed to enter the premises of all government departments, including their subordinate offices and autonomous bodies, without wearing face masks.

“Social distancing of at least three feet should be maintained by all the officers and officials, at all times in every workplace. The general administration shall ensure effective disinfection of all the offices thrice in a week, especially of the surface of installations, chairs, tables and doors,” it read.

It said the general administration would responsible for ensuring that all staff was provided with face masks to wear and that the thermal guns were provided at the entrance of department and office for the screening of body temperature. “No person having fever, flu, cough, shortness of breath and body pain shall be allowed to enter into the premises of department and office. It shall be ensured that there is no crowding and gatherings strictly at any place.”

It said messages, posters and signs of social distancing shall be displayed at every workplace. “All persons including staff with cough, flu, body ache or shortness of breath and elderly people of 50 years and above with co-morbidities like diabetes, hypertension, kidney diseases, allergies, asthma and the immune-compromised state shall be advised to remain at home and perform the function from their home (where applicable and feasible). All staff of essential services, designated and notified offices from time to time remains on duty or on-call during the span of pandemic COVID-19.”

It added that all employees with travel history of abroad within the last one month were advised to ensure strict self-quarantine at home and further social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. “All persons at the office must perform hand hygiene frequently with soap and water or hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizers should be installed within office premises with proper refills on a daily basis. All departments and offices shall be declared NO SMOKING ZONE and all employees be advised for no smoking.”

It continued: “Public shall not be allowed to visit departments and offices during the COVID-19 emergency. An ‘Online Complaint Portal’ for registering complaints shall be widely publicised for the facilitation of the public. One-third of the total staff shall be allowed to attend departments and offices on a rotation basis by ensuring all security and safety protocols, including social distancing, infection prevention and disinfection.”

The notification said all the employees shall be screened for COVID-19 symptoms before calling for duty. “Other staff shall be assigned home-based work through telecommunication channels and means. Every department and office shall install a health desk at the entry point to instil health education, screening and awareness regarding COVID-19.”

It said the cleanliness of toilets at all workplaces shall be ensured through disinfecting liquid, and that the general administration shall ensure to deploy a sufficient number of janitorial staff for the purpose.

“All symptomatic and suspected employees must be screened and tested of COVID-19 immediately. The administrative head of the departments and offices shall ensure this aspect personally by emailing the list of such employees at sindh.covid19@gmail.com after specifying their names, designations, age and contact numbers.”

It said the educational and training institutes shall remain closed until June 30 or till the next order of the government.

“Any officer or official and individual found violating any instructions contained in this SOP shall be liable for action in accordance with applicable law and rules accordingly. Keeping in view the sensitivity of the matter, it is directed to request you again to ensure maximum adherence of the aforementioned policy instructions, in letter and spirit, to restrain the spread of COVID-19.”