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Coronavirus outbreak: Public dealing at Chandigarh secretariat, MC office suspended
Visiting hour between 12pm and 1pm kept in abeyance; counters at RLA, Estate Office, Sampark Centres to remain open
The UT administration on Wednesday suspended public dealing at the UT Secretariat and the municipal corporation (MC) building in Sector 17 in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
The visiting hours between 12pm to 1pm have been suspended till further orders. This will also be applicable at the Chandigarh Housing Board office in Sector 9.
The general public has been advised not to visit public offices for work till further orders, and to contact officials concerned through email and telephone if needed.
However, UT departments like Registering and Licensing Authority (RLA), Estate Office and Sampark Centres will continue to function as usual, said Manoj Kumar Parida, UT adviser.
MATTERS TO BE TAKEN UP TODAY
The administration will be taking a call on imposing partial lockdown in government offices. Parida said, “The administration is compiling a list of departments that can be closed down as a precautionary measure. Such departments include like archives, animal husbandry, cooperative, museum, etc. These don’t have any public dealing.”
As classes in schools and colleges have been suspended till March 31, the administration will also decide whether teachers should continue to attend school.
“We will also take a call on regulating daily apni mandis so that there is enough space between vendors and customers, limiting congestion,” said Parida.
On Wednesday, after Punjab ordered closure of apni mandis, the prices of vegetables and fruits remained unaffected in Chandigarh. However, residents reported that some street vendors were charging almost double the regular prices.
BOATING, AMUSEMENT PARK AT SUKHNA LAKE CLOSED
The UT administration on Wednesday shut down boating and amusement park at the Sukhna Lake till March 31 as a precautionary measure. Over 500 visitors avail of boating services at the lake daily.
The services of the Hop-on Hop-off bus and sketch artists at the lake have also been discontinued till March 31.
Besides, assembly of more than five persons at the Botanical Garden in Sarangpur has been banned.
DIRECTIONS TO DEPARTMENTS
The administration has directed all public-dealing departments to dispose of applications quickly to limit public’s visits to the offices.
Staff have been directed against convening meetings unless urgent.
The health department has to be immediately informed about any symptomatic employee, and they should be immediately transferred to isolation ward in a hospital, to be followed by sampling.
Employees suffering from cold, fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc., have been advised to stay home and seek medical care.
No ex-India leaves will be approved unless in case of extreme exigency.
Employees who have returned from any country since March 1 will have to home quarantine themselves for 14 days.
Any office where a suspected or confirmed coronavirus case has appeared must be sanitised.
In case, the suspected case is confirmed, any person in contact with them must be isolated. Such premises must be reopened only after consulting the health department.
