Central government officials who are pregnant or persons with disabilities have now been exempted from physically attending offices till May 31 in view of the surge in Covid cases in the country.
The Department of Personnel and Training issued an office memorandum on May 3 and a modified version on May 6. The department has stated that guidelines issued on April 19 to regulate attendance in central government offices are now being extended to May 31 or until further orders as the "situation has not yet improved to a desirable level".
Also, officials residing in containment zones shall continue to be exempted from attending office till the containment zone is denotified and work from home.
All officials who attend office shall strictly follow Covid-appropriate behaviour, including wearing of mask, physical distancing, use of sanitizer and frequent hand-washing with soap and water, the guidelines state, adding that proper cleaning of workplaces may be ensured.
They add that employees shall follow staggered timings to avoid overcrowding in offices.
The guidelines also state that in compliance of an earlier notification, all employees aged 18 years and above are advised to themselves vaccinated.
The directions come as the country is witnessing a surge in Covid cases. India recorded 4,12,262 new cases over the past 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry data. As many as 3,980 deaths have been reported across the country in the past 24 hours and the number of active cases currently stands at 35,66,398. The number of recoveries in the past 24 hours is 3,29,113.
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