Goa govt offices to open a day before PM’s lockdown ends
Panaji, April 13 (IANS) With still a day to go for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 21-day lockdown to end, Goa government’s offices are scheduled to go functional from Monday.
In an order issued late on Sunday by the state government’s General Administration department, all heads of departments and officers attached to various state services and All India Services have been directed to start “regular office duties”, while the remaining personnel have been directed to attend office from March 15 onwards.
“All heads of departments shall ensure that the employees are called to office on alternate basis, so that not more than 50 per cent strength of all the employees shall attend office on a particular day and remaining shall work from home on alternate day basis (absolutely essential staff may attend on a daily basis),” the order issued late on Sunday by Shripad Arlekar under secretary General Administration department states.
“It is suggested that working hours for all the employees who attend the office on a particular day should be staggered. Three groups of employees may be formed and asked to attend the office as per following timings,” it added.
According to the order, all heads of departments are expected to ensure that hand sanitisers are available at the government offices along with adequate water supply.
The order also urges government servants to maintain social distancing at the workplace as well as in public transport, to and from work. Also, the order also states, that visitors should be dissuaded from visiting government offices.
Interestingly, public transport of all form continues to be banned in wake of the 21-day lockdown.
On Monday, the state government is also expected to launch its ambitious house-to-house survey in order to collect and collate information related to any more COVID-19 related cases, as well as to trace any persons who had entered Goa, from other Indian state as well as other countries, after the virual spread assumed pandemic proportions in the country. The survey which aims to cover all households and industrial areas in the state is expected to be completed with three days and more than 7,000 personnel have been shortlisted for its execution.
The survey, which is expected to be conducted by government officials including teachers, anaganwadi workers, electricity meter readers, etc has been criticised by the Opposition, who have said that in absence of any on-the-spot testing and screening components, the exercise would come a cropper.
More than 1,800 persons in Goa are in quarantine, both in their respective homes and government isolation facilities, while two persons COVID-19 patients are currently under treatment and isolation.
–IANS
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