Five employees of Health Ministry test COVID-19 positive, disinfection drive initiated
Jun 05, 2020
New Delhi [India], June 5 : At least five employees of Union Health Ministry at its headquarters in Nirman Bhawan here have tested positive for COVID-19, ANI has learnt.
They include a director-level officer, a doctor, an undersecretary and two employees posted at Centre for Health Informatics under the Health Ministry, said an official.
"Contact tracing is in process and people who came in close contact with these laboratory-confirmed cases are in quarantine. Extensive disinfection drive has been initiated at MoHFW," the official said.
"The entire premises of MoHFW and DGHS, Nirman Bhawan will remain close on June 6 to June 7 except emergency COVID-19 team. Deep sanitation of the building would take place including all rooms computer, table, cupboard, workstation, chairs, switches, fax machine, scanner, doors, knobs, sofa, racks etc," he said.
The latest office memorandum, issued by the Health Ministry, has directed all ministries/ government departments of states/UTs government to take preventive measures for containment of coronavirus.
ANI reported on June 3 that the Health Ministry had issued an office memorandum after many officers of the union health ministry tested positive for COVID-19.
Health Ministry had said that social distancing is not maintained in office premises at times and had directed all the staff to follow precautionary measures strictly in order to stop the spread of the disease.
Listing precautionary measures to be strictly followed, the ministry had said the wearing of masks is mandatory for all employees and only asymptomatic persons should be allowed to attend the office and people should maintain social distancing mandatorily.
India has reported total 2,26,800 COVID-19 cases and 6,348 persons have died.
