Hyderabad: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Sunday has issued orders for extension of lockdown in containment zones till 30 June 2020 and reopening of prohibited activities in a phased manner in areas outside containment zones.
The reopening of the following activities in areas outside COVID-19 containment zones was permitted in the state with effect from 8 June 2020:
- Religious places/places of worship for public.
- Hotels, restaurants and other hospitality services.
- Shopping malls (other than gaming centres and cinema halls)
However, stipulated that the above mentioned activities shall be permitted subject to observation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) as prescribed by Government from time to time. Accordingly, the following SOPs are hereby issued by the MHA
General SOPs
The general SOPs below shall be observed by the managements of religious places, hotels, restaurants, other hospitality service and shopping malls:
- Provision of hand wash/sanitizer and therma! scanning at entrance
- Only asymptomatic persons to be allowed entry
- Staggering of devotees, visitors, or customers (as the case may be) to be done, if possible
- Face mask is mandatory for devotees/ visitors/ patrons/
- customers, staff, etc.
- Large congregations/gatherings are strictly prohibited
- Posters/audio-visual material on preventive measures against COVID-19 to be displayed
- Air conditioning, wherever installed, shall be set at temperature range of 24 C – 30 C and relative humidity range of 4O per cent to 7O per cent
- Effective and frequent cleaning, sanitation and disinfection of premises, including floors, shall be done with particular focus on lavatories and hand/foot wash areas; deep cleaning of washrooms to be done at regular intervals
- Proper disposal of face masks, gloves, etc. to be arranged
- Cleaning and regular disinfection (using 1o/o sodium hypochlorite) of frequently touched surfaces (door knobs, elevator buttons, hand rails, benches, washroom fixtures, etc.) to be mandatory
- Higher risk persons (older people, pregnant women, etc.) should discouraged from visiting the premises
- Markings to be made for ensuring sufficient distance between people in queues
- Valet parking staff (if available) to wear face masks and gloves
- Proper disinfection of steering, door handles, keys, etc. of the vehicles to be taken up
- Crowd management for social distancing shall be ensured everywhere including in parking lots, shops, sta!!s, cafeteria, etc.
- Proper precautions including disinfection should be observed while handling supplies, inventories, goods, etc.
- In elevators, number of persons to be restricted; on escalators, only one person to be allowed on alternate step
- Gaming arcades and children’s play areas (wherever available) in shopping malls, hotels and restaurants shall remain closed
Religious/worship places
The following specific SOP shall be observed by managements of religious places/places of worship:
- Proper provision should be made for storage of footwear
- People should wash their hands/feet with soap and water before entering the premises
- Effective sanitation must be maintained with particular focus o hand and foot wash stations/areas
- Gatherings disproportionate to available space shall not be allowed
- Wherever necessary, disposable paper tokens shall be used for management of queues
- Seating to ensure social distancing; people to avoid physical contact while greeting each other
- Touching of idols, holy books, mazars, etc. not allowed
- Common prayer mats to be avoided; devotees to bring own mats
- No physical offering like prasadam, holy water, etc. shall be allowed
- Community kitchens, langars, ann-daan, etc. to follow social distancing norms while preparation and distribution
Restaurants
The following specific SOP shall be observed by managements of restaurants:
- Takeaway shall be encouraged; home delivery staff to be screened hermal by management prior to delivery. Food packets to be left at customer’s doorstep and not directly handed over
- Not more than 50o/o seating capacity shall be permitted for adequate social distancing
- Adequate manpower to be deployed for ensuring social distancing
- Disposable menus are advised
- Disposable paper napkins should be used instead of cloth napkins
- Buffet service to follow social distancing
- Contactless mode of ordering/digital payments to be encouraged
- Waiters and other staff to wear mask/gloves
- Furniture to be sanitized each time customer leaves
- Kitchen staff to follow social distancing; kitchens to be sanitized frequently
Hotels
The following specific SOP shall be observed by managements of hotels:
- Details of guests (travel history, medical condition, etc.) along with ID and self-declaration form to be collected at reception
- Adequate manpower to be deployed for ensuring social distancing
- Hand sanitizer must be available at reception
- Contactless processes of check in/check out, online forms, digital payments, etc. must be adopted
- Luggage to be disinfected before sending to room
- Guests at higher risk (older people, pregnant women, etc.) to be advised extra caution
- Personal protection gear such as face masks, gloves, hand sanitizers, etc. to be made available to guests and staff
- Rooms and other service areas to be sanitized each time a guest leaves
- Specific SOPs at para 6 above shall apply to restaurants in hotels also Social distancing to be maintained while extending room service
Shopping malls
The following specific SOP shall be observed by managements of shopping malls:
- Adequate manpower to be deployed for ensuring social distancing
- Staff for home delivery to be screened thermally by management prior to delivery
- Number of customers should kept to a minimum inside shops for physical distancing
- Specific SOPs at para 6 above for restaurants shall apply to food courts in shopping malls; particular attention to paid to crowd/queue management for social distancing
- Loitering in the mall will not be allowed.
- Trial of clothing/accessories shall not be permitted.
- In the event of a suspected or confirmed COVID 19 positive case occurring in any of the abovementioned premises, the following SOP shall be followed
- Place the ill person in a room /area where they are isolated from others
- Provide a mask/face cover till he/she is examined by a doctor
- Immediately inform nearest medical facility or call state/District helpline
- Risk assessment by designated public health authority and further action initiated regarding management of case, contacts and disinfection
- Disinfection of the premises to be done if person is found positive.
The MHA said in its government order (GO) Ms.No.75 dated: 07.06.2020 The managing committees/trusts/societies in charge of religious institutions and managements of hotels, restaurants and shopping malls etc. shall be responsible for strict implementation of the above SOPs. Any failure to do so will lead to closure of the premises and attract penal
provisions as per law.
In exercise of powers conferred under the Disaster Management Act 2005, the undersigned, in his capacity as Chairperson, State Executive Committee hereby issued directions to Commissioner (Endowments), Commissioner (Panchayati Raj), all Collectors & District Magistrates and Commissioner GHMC, Commissioners / Superintendents
of Police, all Municipal Commissioners in the State to ensure strict compliance with the above orders.
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