Bengal government issues fresh safety advisory on masks, work from home

It also suggests complete sanitisation of workplaces at least once a week at all public and private offices

Private establishments advised to re-introduce work from home or on rotation/shifts to ensure fewer employees are present.: File picture

Pranesh Sarkar   |   TT  |  Calcutta   |   19.04.21: The Mamata Banerjee government on Sunday issued a fresh advisory to rein in the spread of Covid-19 in the state after daily positive cases crossed 8,000 mark — twice of what Bengal had recorded in the peak of the first wave of pandemic last October.

The advisory, in place till April 30, puts stress on wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and adhering to other Covid-19 protocols in public places and public transport.

The advisory asks all government offices to run with 50 per cent employees. It advised private establishments to re-introduce work from home or on rotation/shifts to ensure fewer employees are present.

The advisory also suggests complete sanitisation of workplaces at least once a week at all public and private offices.

Wearing of masks, sanitisation and maintaining physical distance in crowded places such as markets, as well as public and private transport should be maintained strictly.

Shopping malls, multiplexes, theatres, restaurants, eateries must make provisions for thermal scanning, hand wash or sanitiser at all entry and exit points. The norms have to be followed at stadiums and swimming pools, the advisory reads.

Health department sources said a lot depended on how well the advisory is implemented on the ground. “For example, it remains to be seen what the state government does to ensure physical distancing and wearing of masks in city markets. So far, no such step was initiated by the police to implement the advisory on the ground,” said a source.

Some officials said it was tough for the state to implement the advisory by engaging the police who are busy in election duties, particularly in Calcutta where positive cases are rising but polls are yet to be held.

The state government has engaged senior IAS officers, mostly in additional chief secretary rank, to oversee implementation of the advisory and Covid-19 protocols in districts. “But implementing all protocols is not easy till elections are over,” said a source.

Public awareness programmes have been planned in the wake of the grim situation, said a source.

“We have to make people aware that the Covid-19 situation is grim. For this, public awareness generating programmes have been planned in the next few days,” said a source.