BackOdisha: Govt offices to run with full strength from Monday as most employees fully vaccinated
Govt employees who are neither vaccinated nor exempted would not be permitted to attend officeOdisha govt recently extended the partial lockdown in the state till 1 August
PremiumAs part of its plan to relax lockdown norms in a graded manner, the Odisha government has asked all of its departments and subordinate offices to function with the full strength of employees from Monday.
The general administration and public grievance department issued a direction in this regard and said it should be observed until further orders.
"Most of the employees are now fully vaccinated and are required mandatorily to attend office regularly. In case any employee has been unable to get vaccinated for medical or some other compelling reason(s), he/she must apply for an exemption to the head of the office," the government order read.
On receipt of such applications, the concerned head of the office will consider them on a case-to-case basis.
Employees who are neither vaccinated nor exempted would not be permitted to attend office and their absence will be treated as willful, said the order.
Further, all government offices and employees have been asked to take precautionary measures to prevent the spread of Covid infection.
"In case of detection of Covid infection cases in any office, the protocol issued by the GA&PG department shall be followed and be reported to the concerned head of the office," the order said.
Earlier, offices were functioning with a 50% strength of employees due to the Covid-19 situation.
As per government data, 60% of the 10 lakh eligible people in capital Bhubaneswar have received the first dose and 40% have been administered both doses of the vaccine.
The Bhubaneswar municipal corporation has set the target of fully inoculating all the beneficiaries by 31 July, its chief S K Singh said.
Curbs eased
Odisha recently extended the partial lockdown in the state till 1 August while allowing the movement of passengers buses, and reopening of barbershops and salons.
"The daily test positivity rate (TPR) of Odisha, which was 5% on July 1, has now come down to below 3%. The number of daily infections has also come down to 2,000 from 3,000 reported earlier this month. It means the situation has not fully improved," said state chief secretary SC Mohapatra.
"The government in a bid to strike a balance between life and livelihood has announced some relaxations," he added.
Although gyms have been allowed to operate, schools, colleges, coaching centres, and religious establishments continue to remain shut.
Announcing the graded relaxations, the chief secretary said, the districts have been divided into two categories Category A and Category B.
While 20 districts under Category A are located in the western and southern regions of the state, the remaining 10 coastal districts are in Category B, he said.
The chief secretary said the rate of infection in districts like Khurda, Cuttack, and Puri is very high.
Of the 2,000 daily cases being reported now, around 70 to 80% of them are in the 10 Category B districts
Khurda district, comprising the state capital, reports around 40% of the new cases.
In Category A districts, shops will be allowed to remain open from 6 am till 8 pm on all days.
The relaxation will be applicable between 6 am and 5 pm in Category B districts, he said.
The districts under Category A are Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Kalahandi, Bolangir, Nuapada, Sonepur, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Boudh, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Angul, Dhenkanal and Keonjhar.
The Category B districts are Khurda, Puri, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Balasore, Bhadrak, and Mayurbhanj.
With inputs from agencies.
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