Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Updated : May 20, 2020 9:41 AM IST
It is important to prevent importation of infection in workplace settings and to respond in a timely and effective manner in case suspect case of COVID-19 is detected.
We are now looking at a return to normal life. This means that going back to office is soon going to be a possibility for many of us. As the government tries to ease us back to the life that we are all used to, it raises questions about the dangers associated with it. With more COVID-19 lockdown restrictions being eased, the dangers of getting infected has also gone up significantly. Keeping this in mind, the Government of India has come out with a revised set of guidelines for all office goers.
In offices, you are in close contact with your co-corkers and you use a lot of shared spaces like corridors, elevators, stairs, parking places, cafeteria, meeting rooms, conference halls and so on. The spread of COVID-19 is a real danger in such a setting. Therefore, it is important to prevent importation of infection in workplace settings and to respond in a timely and effective manner in case suspect case of COVID-19 is detected. This will limit the spread of infection.
These measures are a must for employees and visitors at all times.
If there is a positive COVID-19 case in your office, you need to know your risk factor. You come under the category of contact if you have been exposed to a confirmed case anytime between 2 days prior to onset of symptoms (in the positive case) and the date of isolation (or maximum 14 days after the symptom onset in the case). A high-risk contact is one who has touched body fluids of the patient. This can be respiratory tract secretions, blood, vomit, saliva, urine and faeces. You are at risk if you have been coughed on or if you have touched used paper tissues with bare hands. The risk is there if you have had direct physical contact with the body of the patient. This includes physical examination without PPE or touching or cleaning linens, clothes, or dishes of the patient or if you live in the same house.
On the other hand, you are a low risk contact if you have shared the same space but do not have any high-risk exposure to the confirmed case of COVID-19. Sharing the same mode of travel without high-risk exposure also places you in low-risk contact category. Knowing your risk category will help the authorities to identify and isolate high-risk cases. This, in turn, will help contain the spread of the disease.
