Kerala govt releases fresh guidelines for opening up govt institutions, offices

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kerala government on Sunday released fresh guidelines to be followed during this phase of the disease. As per the guidelines, all government offices and institutions will open up and function from June 8.

Thiruvananthapuram: The State Government releases fresh guidelines to be followed during this phase of the COVID 19 pandemic, here on Sunday. All government offices and institutions will open up and function as per these guidelines, from June 8.

After more than 75 days of COVID lockdown, all government offices, public sector companies and institutions, except those in the hot spots and containment zones, are to function as usual from Monday, the 8th of June 2020.

All staff in the respective offices are to be at work tomorrow. Arrangements must be made, in the offices and institutions within the COVID containment zones in the State, to facilitate the day to day operations with minimal staff from the same district.

Saturdays will not be working days. The Government has also decided to encourage Work From Home policy as far as possible. Parents of critically ill children and special children who have demanding mental or physical conditions are to be exempted from their duties as far as possible.

Lactating mothers with babies aged below one year, and pregnant women in their third trimester (who have completed their 7 months of gestation period) are to be exempted from their duties. It has been directed that their higher officials must facilitate and arrange for them to work from home.

The staff, who have been reporting at the Collectorates and the Local Self Governance offices in the absence of full-fledged public transport facilities, are to get their release orders and report to their respective offices.

All staff are to give special consideration for the pending files in each office and the heads are to ensure that it is being done.

The guidelines insist that the respective office heads must ensure the strict practice of ‘Break the Chain’ protocol, introduced as part of the COVID prevention strategy, in the offices and public spaces.