Cafes, Washrooms And Offices: This Is How Workplaces Will Look Like Adapting To The New Normal

As India gears up for "Unlock" following the countrywide lockdown which started on March 25, offices, malls and restaurants are set to open in the coming week.

The health ministry, yesterday, issued an SOP against the backdrop of the government's plans to open up the economy, outlining procedures and guidelines for opening up of public places. Any employee residing in a COVID-19 containment zone should be allowed to work from home and not attend office till the time the area is denotified and that period will not be counted as leave, the Union health ministry said on Thursday.

The SOP also said an entire office building need not be closed if one or two cases of COVID-19 are reported there and work can resume after disinfection as per the laid down protocols.

However, if there is a larger outbreak, the entire building will have to be closed for 48 hours and all the staff will work from home till the building is adequately disinfected and is declared fit for re-occupation, the ministry said in its 'SOPs on preventive measures to contain spread of COVID-19 in offices'.

Representational Image

Offices in containment zones will remain closed except for medical and essential services and only those outside will be allowed to open up.

According to the SOP, any officer or staff residing in containment zones should inform the same to the supervisory officer and not attend office till the zone is denotified. They should be permitted to work from home and it will not be counted as leave period.

All social distancing norms must be followed and adequate arrangements must be made for hand sanitisers and thermal screening of all employees and staff. Hand hygiene (sanitizer dispenser) and thermal screening provisions should be put in place at the entrances mandatorily and only asymptomatic staff/visitors should be allowed.

People above 65, those with co-morbidities and pregnant women are advised to stay at home, except for essential and health purposes, and the office management should facilitate the process.

All officers and staff will be allowed entry only if they are using face cover/masks and these should be worn at all times on the office premises.

The interior of the vehicles should be disinfected using 1 per cent sodium hypochlorite solution/spray and the steering, door handles, keys, etc. should be properly disinfected.

As per the SOP, routine issue of visitor/temporary passes should be suspended, and visitors with proper permission of the officer they want to meet should be allowed after being properly screened.

Representative Image -Unsplash

Meetings, as far as feasible, should be done through video conferencing and large gatherings prohibited, it said.

"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, staff and visitors.

"There is a need to prevent spread of infection and to respond in a timely and effective manner in case a suspect case of COVID-19 is detected in these settings, so as to limit the spread of infection," the ministry said.

Adequate crowd and queue management, along with social distancing norms, should be ensured in the cafeteria and canteen, and the staff and waiters should wear masks and hand gloves and take other required precautionary measures, it said.

Seating arrangement should ensure a distance of at least 1 metre between patrons as far as feasible, the SOP mentioned.

The ministry however added that despite taking these measures, the occurrence of cases among employees working in the office cannot be ruled out.