With industries set to open, government issues guidelines

No employee from a containment zone should be allowed to work

04/05/2020,DENNIS S. JESUDASANCHENNAI

The State government on Sunday issued several sets of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to enable certain industries, including the construction sector, to resume partial operations in rural and specified urban areas outside the COVID-19 containment zones from Monday.

As per the SOP, notified a day after Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced a relaxation of the lockdown, no employee from a containment zone should be allowed to work. “One should understand [that] the intention of the government is to carefully restart operations of industries and not undo all the precautionary measures taken so far,” a senior official told The Hindu.

He made it clear that private firms other than those that fall under the sectors specifically mentioned in the G.O. issued by the Chief Secretary cannot resume operations. “If any more relaxation is necessary, the State government would take a call,” he added.

Industrial units engaging over 1,000 workers must tie-up with a nearby hospital for a daily visit by a doctor. In units with 201-1,000 workers, a part-time doctor must visit once in two days, and units with less than 200 employees must have a doctor “on call”.

Those aged above 55, persons with co-morbidities and parents of children below five years of age “shall be encouraged from home [sic]”. Such permission shall not be entertained in the construction industry.

Disinfecting industrial premises twice a day, thermal screening of employees before they enter the premises, wearing of masks and physical distancing at the workplace are among the mandatory provisions. “Ensure that only medically fit persons, without any co-morbid conditions and below 55 years of age, are called for work in the first phase,” said the G.O, which also officially extended the lockdown till May 17.

Companies should arrange for the transportation of their workers. The vehicles should only carry passengers at 50% capacity, and a provision should be made for disinfectants/sanitisers at the entry and exit points of buses. No pillion riding will be allowed on two-wheelers.

Not more than 2/4 (depending on the size of the facility) persons should be allowed to travel in lifts or hoists. Wearing face coverings is compulsory in all areas of the premises.

The G.O. also specified punishments to be imposed under various provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, in case of were violations.

If any employee of a firm tested positive for COVID-19, it must be brought to the notice of the office of the Deputy Director of Medical Services of the district concerned or the 24-hour helpline immediately, the State government said on Sunday.

The person should be admitted to a designated COVID-19 hospital and close contacts must be tested and kept under home or facility quarantine, as per the standard protocols, a G.O said.

“Close proximity of the area in which the employee was working should be thoroughly disinfected for three days and can be put back into use. The whole of the campus should also be disinfected,” the G.O. stated.

Identification and isolation of potentially infectious individuals was a critical step in protecting people at a work site, it added.