As a precautionary measure, the Odisha government has issued guidelines that can help contain the spread of COVID-19. The government has changed the working schedule of the government offices as well as private establishments, which will come into effect from 20th March till 31st March.
“Social distancing has been found to be effective in containing the spread of COVID-19 disease in different parts of the country as observed. With a view to protecting the multitude of society working in different government establishments including State Secretariat, Directorates, District Level Offices and Sub-district Level Offices as well as in private establishments including shops, workshops, and factories, the following guidelines may be considered for imposition to break the chain of contact to prevent further spread of the disease”, as said in the notification issued by the General Administration and Public Grievance Department under Govt. of Odisha.
The guidelines are as listed below:
– All Group-C and Group-D employees except the Head of the Office in the State Secretariat and Directorates are asked to restrict themselves at home. Group A and B employees will be attending office. The employees who are to be at home must resist themselves from gatherings/congregations, failure to do so will result in treating the entire period as ‘leave without pay’.
– VPN facility will be made available for higher officials in case of accessing the Odisha Secretariat Work-flow Automation System (OSWAS) while working from home.
– Directors, Collectors, SPs, Heads of District Level Offices as well as field offices have full authority over deciding the number of employees needed according to the workload. They can also place the employees on a rotation basis.
– The offices will be equipped with hand sanitizers and soaps.
– The cleaning staff will also be provided with sufficient sanitizers to keep the offices clean.
– The essential services like Police, Fire, Jail, Health, etc. should hold an adequate number of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to help the affected patients at the time of urgency.
– Private establishments are advised to allow their employees to work from home.