Pune: Three employees of education department found COVID positive

Pune, June 23, 2020: After three clerks in three different offices of the education department have been affected by coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the staff of all the department offices are fearing contact of the disease. All the offices have been sanitised and the administration has issued a notice reminding and instructing all staff members to wear masks and maintain social distance in the office.

In the lockdown 5 (extended till June 30) which is also called unlock phase 1, the state government has allowed all government offices to resume work, following which the education department had also immediately ordered that 15 percent officers and staff members need to be present at work. In case any employee remains absent, then his/her holiday will be considered as ‘unpaid leave’.

All the government offices have been following a timetable which has enlisted names of a set of officers to be present on particular days in the office. Accordingly, all the employees have been going to work on the given days, fearing salary cuts on days missed. Many employees come from different containment zones in the city.

Among the infected employees, one works at the school nutrition unit of the directorate of primary education, another employee who works in the education commissioner’s office was posted at a grocery shop, it has been supposed that the person has got exposed to the disease there. While the third person working at Pune’s department of secondary and higher secondary education board has been found COVID positive. The three employees had complained of health issues after which they were admitted to the hospital for treatment.

All the three offices were shut for three-four days straight and all precautionary measures were taken including spraying of sanitisers.

Education commissioner Vishal Solanki informed that repeated notices were issued at all offices to follow the ministry guidelines on prevention of COVID-19. Teachers, staff members, parents, unions are asked to not crowd at the offices right now. Any communication required to be done with the department, then please connect through phone, WhatsApp message, or email.