The Director-General of Police, Telangana issued instructions on Thursday directing staff working at the DG offices at Lakdikapul in Hyderabad to work from home, and report to office on alternate working days. The instructions have been issued as a precautionary measure in the wake of rising COVID-19 positive cases in the state.
The DGP, Mahendar Reddy, has instructed the office to adopt alternate working days on a rotation basis to ensure that physical contact among individuals is minimised. These working arrangements will be applicable to all staff up to the level of senior assistant, including the outsourcing staff and home guards attached to sections.
To stay functional on days with half the office working from home, the DGP has instructed each section superintendent to divide the staff working in their respective sections into two groups and to assign alternate days for attendance in the office. If the strength of the section is limited to a single digit, that is if only one senior assistant, junior assistant, or DEO is available, then that officer will have to attend the office daily.
The order informs the officers that the alternate attendance to the office cannot be construed as a holiday and that it is to be treated as a working day. Each staff member has to be available at their respective residences and should respond to calls from the office. The officials have also been asked to come to office in person, if necessary. It is an on duty and on call arrangement, read the release.
The DGP has stated that no employee should leave headquarters or make themselves unreachable by switching off phones. Further, no staff member can refuse to come to the office, or delay their arrival. However, if any employee develops a fever, cough, dry cough, has body pains or other symptoms, they must immediately report the matter to the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Stores so that precautions can be taken to prevent infection to others.
Telangana on Wednesday reported eight Covid-19 positive cases, including a group of Indonesian travellers, taking the total number of cases in the state to 14.