No legal action against CEOs if employee found Covid positive: MHA

NEW DELHI: Dismissing apprehensions that states may take legal action against manufacturing facilities including imprisonment of the CEO or temporarily sealing the factory if a Covid-19 worker is found on the premises during the lockdown , the home ministry on Thursday clarified that was no such clause in the consolidated revised guidelines issued on April 15 and hence such apprehensions were misplaced.Accordingly, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, in a letter written to all the states/UTs, has requested them to apprise the industrial field establishments of the lockdown guidelines to be followed, and not misuse them to harass the management of any manufacturing/ commercial establishments.“Some apprehensions, based on wrong interpretation of the guidelines, have been raised in the media and by some companies having manufacturing facilities,” Bhalla pointed out while elaborating that these included legal action such as the imprisonment of CEO and sealing of facility for 3 months if any employee is found COVID-positive or sealing of factory for 2 days if precautionary measures not taken.“I would like to clarify that there is no such clause in the consolidated revised guidelines and therefore there is no basis for such misplaced apprehensions,” said the Home Secretary.“Covid-19 being a highly infectious epidemic, it is important that all workplaces take measures to ensure social distancing and follow standard health protocols as notified by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). Accordingly. appropriate safeguards at workplaces have been prescribed in the National Directives and SOPs....The workplaces and industrial and commercial establishments are required to follow these guidelines,” said Bhalla.The letter also clarified that the activities allowed under the consolidated revised guidelines dated April 15. 2020 except in containment zones have subsumed all the earlier activities that were permitted under the earlier guidelines dated March 24, 2020 (and as modified further). “Hence, it is clarified that the consolidated revised guidelines dated April 15, 2020 do not curtail the exemptions already provided earlier, unless the exempted activity falls within a containment zone,” said the Home Secretary.It was also underlined that subject to compliance with the SOP on social distancing, no fresh license or statutory approval is required for resumption of permitted activities during the lockdown period.