Re-joining office? Know what must be sanitized and how
‘Quick, efficient sanitization can neutralise the majority of germs from any surface or object’
LUCKNOW :With most of the offices resuming functioning after over three months of break, there is a need for frequent sanitation of office space, work station, washroom, courtyard, verandah and corridor before every shift, said Dr Rakesh Kapoor, director, Medanta Hospital, Lucknow.
Insisting that sanitisation was crucial in stopping the community spread of Covid-19, Kapoor said, “If not sanitised well, these offices could become the source of virus spread.”
More than 90 cases of coronavirus were found in chief minister’s call centre office in Vibhuti Khand, 32 cases were found in 102 ambulance service office in Aashiana, two staff in the LMC zone 8 and two in Shakti Bhavan have been found positive during last 20 days.
A total of 12 staff of UP-112 headquarters, including nine outsourced staff and three police personnel, also tested positive between June 20 and 22 after the building remained closed for six days.
Similarly, on June 25, office of Lucknow joint commissioner of police (JCP) was sealed for sanitisation process after eight police personnel deployed there were tested positive for Covid-19 infection.
Joint commissioner of police (JCP) law and order Naveen Arora had quarantined himself, along with his family members, since then.
“Sanitisation is an important process which cannot be avoided. A sanitizing substance is anything that kills 99.9% of germs in 30 seconds of exposure,” said professor Radha Krishna Dheeman, director, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS).
He added, “Quick, efficient sanitization can neutralise the majority of germs from any surface or object. It can also be done with a diluted disinfecting agent. The offices where work is done in shifts need to sanitise before every shift starts and there must be an interval of 30 minutes between the two shifts, besides that social distancing and wearing of mask inside the office is also required.”
Kishore Naidu, state head of GVK EMRI, the agency operating 102 and 108 ambulances in the state said, “When a female staff was tested positive a few days back, 31 other colleagues also tested positive, who were working at the same floor.
They were not displaying any symptoms. However, since then for the safety of our staff we are performing sanitisation of whole office premises daily thrice in a day, we work in three shifts of eight hours and before change of every shift we sanitise every work station. Employees sit on different chairs and maintain social distancing. Every employee has to wear mask or he is fined.”
Municipal commissioner Indramani Tripathi said, “The city has 167 containment zones and in every zone we have to perform sanitisation thrice in a day. Besides we have to perform sanitisation of some of the government offices regularly. We also
› The city has 167 containment zones and in every zone we have to perform sanitisation thrice in a day. Besides we have to perform sanitisation of some of the government offices regularly. INDRAMANI TRIPATHI , Municipal commissioner
have our eight zonal offices, along with offices of waste removal department in various zones.”
“For private offices, there are certain companies who could be hired. The LMC executive committee has also decided to charge if any resident calls the LMC to sanitise his house. The rates would be finalised in a day or two.”
Dr Rakesh Kapoor said, “You must also know what to sanitise in your office. It’s vital that you sanitize every single thing that could have been breathed or coughed onto. Besides sanitising the surfaces, the vertical and edge of each counter or table must be sanitised. The keyboards of computers, laptops, pens, staplers, printers, copiers, conference table, handle, doors and paperclips in the office must be sanitised. In the changed circumstances we must learn to discard leftovers.”