Why Indian Enterprises Must Sanitise Premises, Maintain Cleaning After Reopening?

Several reports have shown where offices were forced to shut after reopening as corona cases were found in their buildings or independent floors,

Photo: AP

With the government easing restrictions and millions of companies reopen their operations in India with safety in mind, experts on Sunday stressed the enterprises, both big and small, must properly sanitise their premises before letting the staff enter and also maintain regular cleaning of offices to curb spread of the deadly virus. Several reports have shown where offices were forced to shut after reopening as corona cases were found in their buildings or independent floors, as they did not either follow proper health safety protocols or missed on maintaining "corona hygiene" at their premises. According to Dr Harshal R Salve, Associate Professor at All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, sanitisation practices, use of masks and maintaining physical distance are critical in the prevention of the spread of Covid-19 at the workplace. "As people spend most of their time at the workplace, all these interventions are necessary to halt the pandemic in the country," Salve said. Speaking to IANS, sanitisation expert Akash Saxena, Director at Topshield Group, said that with the outbreak of coronavirus and recent stage escalating to community spreading in various parts of our country, sanitisation is the need of the hour to reduce the potential risk of the harmful virus. "At Topshield, all premium disinfectants used are odourless. The use of high-quality Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved disinfectants allow no room for stains to be left on fabrics, furnishing, or important official documents," he told IANS. Sharing sanitising tips to stop Covid-19 spread at the workplace, experts suggested that while sanitising surfaces or hands, special caution and care should be taken as at times, sanitisers may get into the eyes. According to Ikeda Lal, senior ophthalmologist from Delhi Eye Centre and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, if sanitiser falls into your eyes accidentally, first and foremost, do not panic and stay calm. "Resist the urge to rub your eyes. Wash your hands with soap and water to get rid of any excess sanitizer before touching your eyes and thoroughly wash your eyes with clean water," she said, adding that consult an ophthalmologist immediately if irritation persists. Anil Hota, CEO of SAR Cellulabs Pvt Ltd, a Gurugram based company, which offers a variety of services ranging from automatic thermal scanners for employees and installing sanitiser chambers, said that sanitising the entire office before reopening is very important. "We have an amalgamation of product offerings which deals right from tracking temperatures of individuals along with attendance to sanitisation of individuals attire and the environment with Covid specific constituents," Hota said.