New Delhi:
The Delhi government’s health department on Thursday asked all government and public sector undertakings to discontinue their biometric attendance system in wake of the spread of coronavirus in the national capital.
On Thursday, several government institutions and organisations started registering attendance manually.
A large number of government organisations had switched to biometric attendance system a few years ago to ensure transparency in the procedure and avoid fudging of attendance records by employees. But as the coronavirus affects the respiratory system, efforts are being made to reduce the change of its spread.
The South and East Delhi municipal corporations have directed all the offices, schools and hospitals under it to immediately discontinue biometric attendance system. “This is being done for the safety of our staff. Till March 31, attendance will be registered manually,” said a senior South Delhi Municipal Corporation official.
SDMC commissioner Gyanesh Bharti held a meeting on Thursday where he directed all officials to prepare material for large-scale public awareness programme. “Within three days, we will have banners, hoardings and other material ready to inform public about the dos and don’ts,” said an official. All schools under the four municipal corporations have been shut following Delhi government orders.
At all Delhi government offices, attendance is being recorded in registers.
{{/usCountry}}At all Delhi government offices, attendance is being recorded in registers.
{{/usCountry}}Education institutions such as Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has asked its teaching staff to sign on registers to mark their attendance. A notice signed by P Asai Babu, deputy registrar administration, JNU, read that the biometric attendance system had been “suspended till further orders”.
City doctors say as the disease spreads through close contact also, the use of biometric system increases the risk of infection. “If a sick person has punched the system then microbes tend to remain on the surface of the system, risking the spread if a healthy person touches the system,” said Dr RK Singal, chairman, internal medicine department , BLK Hospital.
The fear of the spread of the virus has led to cancellation of some events in the city.
The Italian Embassy cancelled its National Day celebrations in Delhi scheduled on March 17. “In view of the situation in the wake of corona virus outbreak, the Ambassador of Italy is constrained to cancel the Italian National Day celebrations scheduled on March 17. The fresh date, as and when decided, will be communicated to the invitees,” read the release from the embassy.