Admin asks industry owners to maintain health records of all employees turning up for work

The Gautam Budh Nagar district falls in the red zone category, and no vehicles, other than those related to essential services and carrying bona fide passes, will be allowed to enter or exit the district till the lockdown ends on May 17, 2020.

The health department of Gautam Budh Nagar wants all industries which have started functioning from Monday to keep a tab on the health of their employees and maintain records for the safety of others. Workers who are on immunosuppressants are at higher risks of contracting the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Noida, India - April 27, 2020: Medical professional seen inside district hospital in sector 30 during lockdown. (Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times)

The Uttar Pradesh government had allowed private offices to resume work with 33% of the total staff strength. Also, industries in urban areas, export-oriented units, industrial estates and industrial townships have been allowed to function. The Gautam Budh Nagar district falls in the red zone category, and no vehicles, other than those related to essential services and carrying bona fide passes, will be allowed to enter or exit the district till the lockdown ends on May 17, 2020.

Health officials have suggested that people above the age of 65 years, those with co-morbid conditions, pregnant women and children below the age of 10 years continue to remain at home.

Doctors have said people who are on immunosuppressants are at the maximum risk of contracting the infection and such people shouldn’t go out to join work. Immunosuppressant drugs are a class of medicines that is used to suppress or reduce the strength of the body’s immune system, especially in those with auto immune conditions. The most significant side effect of immunosuppressant drugs is an increased risk of the infection.

People on steroids are also prone to the infection. So all such employees should be allowed to work from home, doctors said. People with diabetes or blood pressure can join work but only if their disease is in control, they said.

The additional chief medical officer of GB Nagar has said the industry owners have to follow the protocol of screening employees for body temperature before they enter the premises. “Owners of industries and offices should ensure that everybody is scanned. People should be made to sanitise their hands regularly. Social distancing is crucial and it should be followed strictly. One mistake can put many lives in danger,” Dr Sunil Dohre, ACMO, GB Nagar, said.

“Organisations should maintain a health record of employees to ensure that anybody with flu-like symptoms can be identified. Persons with such symptoms should be isolated. It will require some effort on the part of the company but it is important for everybody’s safety,” Dr Dohre said.

Industrial activities permitted since May 3 are manufacturing units producing essential goods, including drugs, pharmaceutical products and their raw materials. Production units requiring continuous process, supply chain, manufacture of IT hardware and mobile phones, units producing packaging materials, construction activities with employees on site and construction of renewable energy projects have also been allowed.

Units having more than 50 employees will have to ensure timely pick-up and drop facility for employees within the relaxation hours (7am to 7pm).

Private offices have been allowed to operate with maximum 33% staff strength, with the remaining staff being asked to work from home. “It is a crisis situation and everybody has to come together to control the spread of the coronavirus infection. We expect that all industries which are allowed to function will follow the guidelines related to the precautions,” Suhas LY, district magistrate, said.