Noida admin orders 28-day paid leave for those quarantined, pay for daily wagers during lockdown

Any worker or employee infected with coronavirus and quarantined either at hospital or at home will be given a 28-day paid leave by their employer across Noida and Greater Noida, the Gautam Buddh Nagar district administration has ordered.

In the order passed late on Saturday night, the administration also said that shops, industries and factories closed because of the lockdown will have to give daily wage along with leave to their workers and labourers during the closure period.

The order came amid an exodus of thousands of daily wage earners to their far-flung homes, towns and villages as they have been rendered jobless due to the 21-day countrywide lockdown ordered by the Centre to fight coronavirus.

Gautam Buddh Nagar District Magistrate B N Singh said the Uttar Pradesh government has already declared the pandemic as a "disaster" and the lockdown has been ordered with an objective to contain the virus from spreading.

"Workers and employees who are infected with COVID-19 and those quarantined for suspected coronavirus for treatment will get 28 days' paid leave.

This will be done only when such patients produce a certificate of treatment to their employers upon being discharged as healthy," Singh said.

"All such shops, commercial facilities and factories, which have been closed temporarily because of the order of the state government or the district administration, will provide paid leave to their workers and labourers for the duration of the closure," he said in the order.

Arrangement should be made by such establishments to make the payments to their workers and labourers on March 30 and 31 or April 3 and 4, depending on their situation, the order stated.

Singh said he has invoked the powers vested in him as the district magistrate under the National Disaster Management Act, 2005 to issue this order and any violation of it would attract legal action.

Action will be taken against offenders under Section 51 of the Act, which provides for one year of imprisonment or financial penalty or both and two years of jail if violation of the order causes any loss to life or property, the order stated.

People can use the administration's integrated control room number (0120-2544700) to report any related violation, the district magistrate said.

Gautam Buddh Nagar has recorded 32 cases of coronavirus till Sunday, a Health Department official said.

The administration had in an order passed on Saturday asked landlords to collect rent from their worker-tenants only after a month, with reports claiming that migrant workers had set off to their homes as they did not have money to pay rent.

The administration has already sought financial support from those willing to help it in the fight against the coronavirus.

Those willing to contribute can make donations in the name of the district magistrate, Gautam Buddh Nagar to account number 30049902873 of State Bank of India with IFSC code SBIN0005106 or send a demand draft or cheque also, Singh said in his appeal to the people.

Separately, the administration has also formed 30 teams for monitoring that essential items, including food items and medicines, are being made available to people and sold at correct rates.

Chief Development Officer Anil Kumar Singh has been appointed as the nodal officer for these teams which will also check black marketing, hoarding and profiteering, if any, across Noida and Greater Noida, officials said.