C'garh govt offices in non-hotspot zones to reopen from Monday

The state government offices in

Chhattisgarh will reopen from Monday, except those located in the COVID-19 containment zones, officials said on Sunday.

All the state government offices, which were shut since the lockdown came into force last month, will resume from Monday by following all precautionary measures like social distancing and limited attendance, a public relations department official here said.

However, the offices in containment zones- areas under Katghora municipal council in Korba district and Jajawal village in Surjapur district- will continue to remain shut in view of COVID-19 cases in those areas, he added.

In a circular to secretaries, divisional commissioners, collectors and head of the departments (HoDs), the state's General Administration Department on Sunday issued directives in this regard, he said.

 

In the containment zones, the collector concerned can later allow functioning of the government offices after taking stock of the COVID-19 status there, he said.

The circular said that the directive will be applicable in corporations, boards, commissions and administrative units, which are affiliated to the state government departments, he said.

The circular says that there should be 100 per cent attendance of gazetted officers along with one-third of other officials and employees in offices concerned.

Sanitisation and regular cleanliness of the offices should be maintained as per the directive issued earlier.

Similarly, sitting arrangements should be as per the social distancing protocols, he added.

Meanwhile, in a separate directive, the state government has ordered to restart registration offices, which were closed since March 23, barring those falling in the red zones and hotspots.

However, deputy registrar offices (I, II, III and IV) in Raipur district, Korba and Katghora deputy registrar offices in Korba district and deputy registrar office in Surajpur district, which are in the red zone and hotspot area will remain non-functional, he said.

So far, 43 persons have tested COVID-19 positive in the state, of whom 36 have been discharged from hospitals following recovery.