Offices with +ve cases to be sealed for 72 hrs

Aparna Banerji

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Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 12

A day after The Tribune highlighted the vulnerability of the DAC complex after several key officials tested positive for Covid-19 within a span of a few days, the District Administration has ordered the sealing of all offices, from where officials tested positive, for 72 hours.

Detailed instructions have been released by the DC in view of the dramatic rise in Covid cases in the district.

RTA services closed till wednesday

As the Secretary, Regional Transport Authority, Jalandhar, was found to be infected with the virus on July 11, the RTA office in the district has been closed till Wednesday. The RTA office and driving test track (Jalandhar) will also remain closed. All allied appointments for driving licences (for learning and driving tests), scheduled for this week, will now be shifted to the next week. No public dealing will take place at the office till Wednesday.

Jalandhar DC Ghanshyam Thori has directed that the work places of all those officials who have tested positive in the district shall be sealed for 72 hours, so that the infection doesn’t spread.

The detailed set of guidelines state that the entry of visitors to the DAC complex shall be restricted to minimum and all demand letters, memorandums and postal material to the DC office shall henceforth be sent via email. Not only this, all offices in Jalandhar shall have mandatory sanitisers at the entry.

It also states that hand sanitisers should be kept at the entry gates of all offices in Jalandhar district and Class IV employees should be deputed to ensure that employees or visitors are allowed to enter only after sanitising their hands. All demand letters being given by various groups shall be accepted by the DC office only via email.

The ADC (G) has also been directed to prepare a backup plan to ensure the work of any PCS or other official, who tests positive due to Covid-19. All fresh posts to the office of DC Jalandhar shall henceforth be sent only via email. The post shall be marked to the department concerned with facsimile signatures. Staff attendance shall also be distributed on 50:50 basis and the ADC (G) will immediately issue duty as per a 14-day roster for the staff.

What the order says…

“The common public is being requested to mail their requests to the office concerned rather than personally visiting the office of the DC or other departments. Applicants can email their requests at dc.jal@punjabmail. gov.in. Only in very important or urgent cases, can applicants come personally and submit their requests to the PA of the DC. The steno to the DC can forward it to the departments concerned under facsimile signatures after due consultation.”