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F.No.C-1101 '1/01/2011-Ad.1 (2404)

Goverrment of India

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions

Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances

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5th Floor, Sardar Patel Bhawan,

Parliament Street, New Delhi -110001

Dated, the 5th June, 2020

IMPORTANT CIRCULAR

The number of COVID-19 positive cases are going up rapidly. Many Officials

in various Central Government Ministries/Departments have been tested COVID-19

positive. Some have lost their life to tl,lis pandemic. Therefore, it is the duty of every

officer to protect themselves and eac~, other and help prevent further spread of the

disease. All officers in DARPG are advised to follow the following protocol to contain

the spread of disease in the office:

1. Only asymptomatic staff shall be allowed. Anyone with a mild cold/ cough or

fever needs to stay at home.

2. Officers/ staff residing in containment zone shall not come to office and work

from home till containment zone is de-notified.

3. Not more than 20 staff/ Officers shall be attending office in a day. Roster will

be reworked accordingly. Remaining staff will continue to work from Home.

4. Under Secretaries/ Deputy Secretaries if sharing cabin, then they will come

alternate day to enforce social distancing.

5. The Section shall not have more than two officials at a time. Staggering

office hours shall be followed tp ensure not more than 20 staff in any given

time in the office. As far as possible windows may be kept open to ensure

proper ventilation in halls

6. Face mask and face shield have to be worn at all times inside the office

premises. Disciplinary action will be taken if it is found that protocol for mask

is not followed in the office.

7. Used masks and gloves shall be discarded carefully in yellow colour bio

medical waste bin only. Strict action will be taken on throwing gloves or masks

in open or in normal waste bins. General Section will inform housekeeping

about norms for disposal of such waste.

8. Face to face meetings/discussions/interactions be avoided as far as possible.

Officers/ Staff will use intercom/ phone / VC for interactions.

9. VCs may be attended from the respective rooms of the officers. VC in Board

room may be avoided as far as possible. General Section will provide

necessary eqUipment to the officers so that they can join web-room from their

respective computers.

10. Handwashing in every half an hour is a must to prevent spread of

infection. Hand sanitizing dispensers shall be installed at prominent places in

corridors. '

11. Frequently touched places such as electric switches, door knobs, elevator

buttons, hand rails, washroom fixtures etc shall be cleaned in every one hour

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with 1% sodium hypochlorite. Officers /Staff are also advised to clean their

personal equipment like keyboards, mouse, phones, AC remotes etc

by themselves by using any ethi.:mol based disinfectant frequently.

12. Distance of 1 mtr shall be maintained while sitting or walking. Visitors' chairs

in the cabins of the officers shall accordingly be placed keeping the norms of

social distancing.

13.AII officers/staff are requested to follow these instructions without fail.

Cooperation of all Officers is crucial to contain the spread of infection. The

latest SOP on preventive measures issued by MH&FW on 4th June 2020 is

also enclosed for strict compliance.

...

This issues with the approval of Secretary, DARPG.

Encl: As above

For circulation through e-Office Notice Board.

Copy for information of PPS to Secretary.

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Khamc in Naulak

Under Secretary (Admn)

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4th June, 2020

Government of India

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare

SOP on preventive measures to contain spread of COVID-19 in offices

1. Background

Offices and other workplaces are relatively close settings, with shared spaces like work

stations, corridors, elevators & stairs, parking places, cafeteria, meeting rooms and

conference halls etc. and COVID-19 infection can spread relatively fast among officials, staffs

and visitors.

There is a need to prevent spread of infection and to respond in a timely and effective

manner in case suspect case of COVID-19 is detected in these settings, so as to limit the

spread of infection.

2. Scope

This document outlines the preventive and response measures to be observed to contain

the spread of COVID-19 in office settings. The document is divided into the following subsections

(i) Generic preventive measures to be followed at all times

(ii) Measures specific to offices

(iii) Measures to be taken on occurrence of case(s)

(iv) Disinfection procedures to be implemented in case of occurrence of

suspect/confirmed case.

Offices in containment zones shall remain closed except for medical & essential sevices. Only

those outside containment zones will be allowed to open up.

3. Generic preventive measures

Persons above 65 years of age, persons with comorbidities, pregnant women are advised to

stay at home, except for essential and health purposes. Office management to facilitate the

process.

The generic preventive measures include simple public health measures that are to be

followed to reduce the risk of infection with COVID-19. These measures need to be

observed by all (employees and visitors) at all times. These include:

i. Individuals must maintain a minimum distance of 6 feet in public places as far as

feasible.

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ii. Use of face covers/masks to be mandatory.

iii. Practice frequent hand washing with soap (for at least 40-60 seconds) even when

hands are not visibly dirty. Use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers (for at least 20

seconds) can be made wherever feasible.

iv. Respiratory etiquettes to be strictly followed. This involves strict practice of covering

one’s mouth and nose while coughing/sneezing with a tissue/handkerchief/flexed

elbow and disposing off used tissues properly.

v. Self-monitoring of health by all and reporting any illness at the earliest to the

immediate supervisory officer.

vi. Spitting shall be strictly prohibited.

vii. Installation & use of Aarogya Setu App by employees.

4. Specific preventive measures for offices:

i. Entrance to have mandatory hand hygiene (sanitizer dispenser) and thermal

screening provisions.

ii. Only asymptomatic staff/visitors shall be allowed.

iii. Any officer and staff residing in containment zone should inform the same to

supervisory officer and not attend the office till containment zone is denotified.

Such staff should be permitted to work from home and it will not be counted as

leave period.

iv. Drivers shall maintain social distancing and shall follow required dos and don’ts

related to COVID-19. It shall be ensured by the service providers/ officers/ staff

that drivers residing in containment zones shall not be allowed to drive vehicles.

v. There shall be provision for disinfection of the interior of the vehicle using 1%

sodium hypochlorite solution/ spray. A proper disinfection of steering, door

handles, keys, etc. should be taken up.

vi. Advise all employees who are at higher risk i.e. older employees, pregnant

employees and employees who have underlying medical conditions, to take extra

precautions. They should preferably not be exposed to any front-line work

requiring direct contact with the public. Office management to facilitate work

from home wherever feasible.

vii. All officers and staff / visitors to be allowed entry only if using face cover/masks. The

face cover/mask has to be worn at all times inside the office premises.

viii. Routine issue of visitors/temporary passes should be suspended and visitors with

proper permission of the officer who they want to meet, should be allowed after

being properly screened.

ix. Meetings, as far as feasible, should be done through video conferencing.

x. Posters/standees/AV media on preventive measures about COVID-19 to be displayed

prominently.

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xi. Staggering of office hours, lunch hours/coffee breaks to be done, as far as feasible.

xii. Proper crowd management in the parking lots and outside the premises – duly

following social distancing norms be ensured.

xiii. Valet parking, if available, shall be operational with operating staff wearing face

covers/ masks and gloves as appropriate. A proper disinfection of steering, door

handles, keys, etc. of vehicles should be taken up.

xiv. Any shops, stalls, cafeteria etc., outside and within the office premises shall follow

social distancing norms at all times.

xv. Specific markings may be made with sufficient distance to manage the queue and

ensure social distancing in the premises.

xvi. Preferably separate entry and exit for officers, staff and visitors shall be organised.

xvii. Proper cleaning and frequent sanitization of the workplace, particularly of the

frequently touched surfaces must be ensured.

xviii. Ensure regular supply of hand sanitisers, soap and running water in the washrooms.

xix. Required precautions while handling supplies, inventories and goods in the office

shall be ensured.

xx. Seating arrangement to be made in such a way that adequate social distancing is

maintained.

xxi. Number of people in the elevators shall be restricted, duly maintaining social

distancing norms.

xxii. For air-conditioning/ventilation, the guidelines of CPWD shall be followed which

inter alia emphasises that the temperature setting of all air conditioning devices

should be in the range of 24-30oC, relative humidity should be in the range of 40-

70%, intake of fresh air should be as much as possible and cross ventilation should

be adequate.

xxiii. Large gatherings continue to remain prohibited.

xxiv. Effective and frequent sanitation within the premises shall be maintained with

particular focus on lavatories, drinking and hand washing stations/areas.

xxv. Cleaning and regular disinfection (using 1% sodium hypochlorite) of frequently

touched surfaces (door knobs, elevator buttons, hand rails, benches, washroom

fixtures, etc.) shall be done in office premises and in common areas

xxvi. Proper disposal of face covers / masks / gloves left over by visitors and/or employees

shall be ensured.

xxvii. In the cafeteria/canteen/dining halls:

a. Adequate crowd and queue management to be ensured to ensure social

distancing norms.

b. Staff / waiters to wear mask and hand gloves and take other required

precautionary measures.

c. The seating arrangement to ensure a distance of at least 1 meter between

patrons as far as feasible.

d. In the kitchen, the staff to follow social distancing norms.

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5. Measures to be taken on occurrence of case(s):

Despite taking the above measures, the occurrence of cases among the employees

working in the office cannot be ruled out. The following measures will be taken in such

circumstances:

i. When one or few person(s) who share a room/close office space is/are found to be

suffering from symptoms suggestive of COVID-19:

a. Place the ill person in a room or area where they are isolated from others at

the workplace. Provide a mask/face cover till such time he/she is examined

by a doctor.

b. Immediately inform the nearest medical facility (hospital/clinic) or call the

state or district helpline.

c. A risk assessment will be undertaken by the designated public health

authority (district RRT/treating physician) and accordingly further advice

shall be made regarding management of case, his/her contacts and need

for disinfection.

d. The suspect case if reporting very mild/mild symptoms on assessment by

the health authorities would be placed under home isolation.

e. Suspect case, if assessed by health authorities as moderate to severe, will

be treated as per health protocol in appropriate health facility.

f. The rapid response team of the concerned district shall be requisitioned and

will undertake the listing of contacts.

g. The necessary actions for contact tracing and disinfection of work place will

start once the report of the patient is received as positive. The report will

be expedited for this purpose.

ii. If there are large numbers of contacts from a pre-symptomatic/asymptomatic case, there

could be a possibility of a cluster emerging in workplace setting. Due to the close

environment in workplace settings this could even be a large cluster (>15 cases). The

essential principles of risk assessment, isolation, and quarantine of contacts, case

referral and management will remain the same. However, the scale of arrangements

will be higher.

iii. Management of contacts:

a. The contacts will be categorised into high and low risk contacts by the District

RRTas detailed in the Annexure I.

b. The high-risk exposure contacts shall be quarantined for 14 days.

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c. These persons shall undergo testing as per ICMR protocol.

d. The low risk exposure contacts shall continue to work and closely monitor

their health for next 14 days.

e. The flowchart for management of contact/ cases is placed at Annexure - II.

6. Closure of workplace

i. If there are one or two cases reported, the disinfection procedure will be limited to

places/areas visited by the patient in past 48 hrs. There is no need to close the

entire office building/halt work in other areas of the office and work can be

resumed after disinfection as per laid down protocol.

ii. However, if there is a larger outbreak, the building/block will have to be closed for

48 hours after thorough disinfection. All the staff will work from home, till the

building/block is adequately disinfected and is declared fit for re-occupation.

7. Disinfection Procedures in Offices

Detailed guidelines on the disinfection as already issued by Ministry of Health & Family

Welfare as available on their website shall be followed.

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Annexure I

Risk profiling of contacts

Contacts are persons who have been exposed to a confirmed case anytime between 2 days

prior to onset of symptoms (in the positive case) and the date of isolation (or maximum 14

days after the symptom onset in the case).

High-risk contact

• Touched body fluids of the patient (respiratory tract secretions, blood, vomit, saliva,

urine, faeces; e.g. being coughed on, touching used paper tissues with a bare hand)

• Had direct physical contact with the body of the patient including physical examination

without PPE

• Touched or cleaned the linens, clothes, or dishes of the patient.

• Lives in the same household as the patient.

• Anyone in close proximity (within 1 meter) of the confirmed case without precautions.

• Passengers in close proximity (within 1 meter) in a conveyance with a symptomatic

person who later tested positive for COVID-19 for more than 6 hours.

Low-risk contact

• Shared the same space (worked in same room/similar) but not having a high-risk

exposure to confirmed case of COVID-19.

• Travelled in same environment (bus/train/flight/any mode of transit) but not having a

high-risk exposure.

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Annexure II

Management of the case(s) and contacts

Case with symptoms

suggestive of COVID-19

Inform central/state/local health

authority/Helpline 1075

Assessment of exposure history

and clinical presentation

Assessed to be COVID-19 suspect

case

Assessed to be non-COVID case

Referral or transfer to a non-

COVID health facility for further

management as per clinical

presentation

No line listing of contacts,

isolation, and disinfection

required.

Follow medical advice of the

treating doctor and continue

following basic preventive

measures

Referral or transfer to a COVID

health facility for further

management (including testing) as

per clinical presentation.

Isolation of suspect case at

designated COVID Health facility

or Home

Initiation of listing of contacts

Testing for COVID-19

Negative Positive

Referral to a non-COVID

Health facility or discharge

as per clinical assessment

and diagnosis

Further clinical management as per clinical

severity – If patient has only mild/very mild

symptoms, home isolation as per laid down

criteria otherwise facility based management

Contact tracing, Home quarantine of contacts,

Testing of contacts as per ICMR guidelines