COVID-19: Centre to resume full office attendance without exemptions from today
Highlights
- This decision was taken after a review of the pandemic situation and with decline in COVID cases
- The positivity rate in the country has also declined
- COVID protocols, however, will be mandatory for all government employees
Union Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on Sunday announced that full office attendance in the Central government shall be resumed from February 7 and employees, at all levels, will attend office without any exemption. He said that this decision was taken after a review of the pandemic situation and in view of the decline in the number of Covid cases as well as a decline in positivity rate.
He also said the Head of Departments shall, however, ensure that employees wear face masks at all times and continue to follow the Covid appropriate behaviour.
This is in supersession of the earlier circular according to which the 50 per cent office attendance rule had been extended till February 15.
However, after obtaining inputs from the relevant quarters and review of the situation, a fresh Office Memorandum has been issued by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) informing that all the employees at all levels, without any exemption, will report to the office from Monday and there will no more be 'work from home' option for any employee.
Earlier, the DoPT had issued certain guidelines through an OM dated January 3 and the same were being reviewed from time to time depending upon the pandemic situation.
In a subsequent review later, these guidelines were extended up to February 15 wherein the physical attendance of government servants below the level of the Under Secretary was restricted to 50 per cent of the actual strength and the remaining 50 per cent were asked to work from home.
In addition to this, the persons with disability and pregnant women employees were exempted from attending office while the officers and staff working from home were asked to remain available on the telephone and other means of communication at all times.
Singh held a video conference and spoke to the employees working from home as well as those who had tested positive for Covid and had inquired about their well-being and also sought their inputs and views.
(With inputs from IANS)
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