Covid-19 Best Practices
Best Practices for Businesses and their employees during Covid-19 Pandemic
Best practices for Businesses:
- Aarogya Setu app to be downloaded & updated regularly mandatorily for all employees
- Regular sanitization / disinfection of all common / large areas and touch prone areas with appropriate solutions
- For larger organizaton, provide Automated Sanitizer / Soap Dispensers
- Appropriate protective equipment for all staff dealing with multiple people
- If required, provide eye wear, head cap and over coat / PPE suits for additional safety
- Markings at all crowd gathering places to facilitate social distancing
- During entry and exit in small establishment without enough space, serpentine/staggered chain/line should be formed
- Avoid close or group gathering as much as possible
- At times when close gathering/meeting is required, minimum of 6 feet distance from another person should be maintained
- When working with colleagues and/or in cafeteria and/or on process line, maintain proper distance
- If required, no face to face seating to be allowed
- Regular non-contact monitoring through temperature gun
- Monitoring of health statistics of employee & keeping a record for future references
- Awareness through trainings & interaction with Doctors/Healthcare professionals
Best practices for Employees:
- Wear a mask
- Maintain 6 feet / 2-meter distance, about two arm length from another person
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds at a gap of 1-2 hours, especially after you have been in common area or after cleaning your nose, coughing or sneezing
- In the absence of soap and water, use sanitizer regularly
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed or un-sanitized hands
- No spitting
- Cover your face and nose while sneezing, coughing
- Avoid handshakes or any other close contact with people
Additional Employer Responsibility as per Government norms
(subject to change from time-to-time and location-to-location):
- Social distancing norms (do gaz doori) should be followed and in case of transportation (50% capacity only), food and accommodation services being provided by the employer
- Employees / employers / drivers / shopkeepers etc. residing in Containment Zones will not be allowed to go to their respective workplaces
- In a situation where a case is detected in any office, the floor / that office must be sealed immediately and sanitized and local authorities to be informed immediately
- While the office can be used after sanitization, the affected room / cubicle may only be used after 2 days
- It is not required to seal the entire building; however, common areas are required to be sanitized
- All employers must keep handy details of nearest Covid healthcare facility
- Arrival and departure of employees should be staggered in large establishments. To ensure that there could be different timings for different set of people
- At least 1 hour difference in shift timings of employees, so that there is no congestion at entry & exit points
- Each establishment should have appropriate sanitation equipment for daily sanitation of premises
- Basic healthcare & monitoring of employees
- Queues with adequate social distancing (establishments may adopt a serpentine queue in case of space constraints) for entry and exits for small business to avoid close contact
- Testing through temperature gun on daily basis (And thermal scanning in case of > 50 employees)
- Ensure regular usage of sanitizer, specially at entry & exit of the premise; provide separate mask to all employees
- Appropriate protective equipment kits (like mask, gloves) must be given to employees who come in contact with large number of people such as gate keeper, safety guard etc.
- In case of suspicion, space for isolation should be secured at the entry gate
- Large entities (>100 employees) should adopt methods for awareness generation
- Provide physical barrier at workplace, if possible
- Restrict usage of pan masala, tobacco etc. and prevent spitting through penalty or any other mode
- Establishments with over 100 employees should conduct weekly health-checkup of all employees
Other additional Government mandates:
- Disinfect the industry/business premise regularly
- Maintain CCTV footage for at least 1 month
- Promote digital payment
- Labor, employees from containment zone should not be allowed entry into the premise.
- Staggering break times
Key Do's and Don'ts during Covid pandemic
Do's:
- To maintain personal hygiene and physical distancing
- To practice frequent hand washing
- Wash hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer
- Wash hands even if they are visibly clean
- To cover your nose and mouth with handkerchief/tissue while sneezing and coughing
- To throw used tissues into closed bins immediately after use
- To maintain a safe distance from persons during interaction, especially with those having flu-like symptoms
- To sneeze in the inner side of your elbow and not to cough into the palms of your hands
- To take their temperature regularly and check for respiratory symptoms
- To see a doctor if you feel unwell (fever, difficulty in breathing and coughing)
- While visiting doctor, wear a mask/cloth to cover your mouth and nose
- For any fever/flu-like signs/symptoms, please call State helpline number or the 24x7 helpline number of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare at 011-23978046
Don'ts:
- Shake hands
- Have a close contact with anyone, if you're experiencing cough and fever
- Touch your eyes, nose and mouth
- Sneeze or cough into palms of your hands
- Spit in Public
- Travel unnecessarily, particularly to any affected region
- Participate in large gatherings, including sitting in groups at canteens
- Visit gyms, clubs and crowded places etc
- Spread rumours or panic