The Directorate General (DG) of Shipping has instructed all the major and minor ports to comply with additional measures along with mandatory quarantine for those vessels arriving from COVID-19-hit countries.
In a circular, the DG Shipping has issued an updated list of 47 countries with mandatory quarantine and travel ban by the Ministry of Family and Health Welfare. The list includes countries such as China, the U.K. European countries, Arab, West Asian and South East Asian countries.
A request to this effect was made by the authorities of major and minor ports in the country to ensure seamless movement of essential goods and services so that the national economic activity was not disrupted.
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On its part, Chennai Port Trust (ChPT) has started implementing the rotation system for its employees in administration, transportation, material handling and other departments allowing them to either work in batches or from home. Only skeleton staff is being deployed at the time of arrival of goods either through vessels or by trains.
“We have asked all the employees of the mechanical workshop to work from home. However, they are refrained from moving around and should be available on telephone or electronic means of communication all the time. They should attend office, in case of exigencies,” said P. Raveendran, chairman, ChPT.
“Till date, we have not stopped any vessel from entering our port. The exim business is going on as usual,” he added.
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As a precautionary measure, ChPT has asked its employees to furnish the travel history of their family members to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The largest sea port in the South employs about 3,500 people. It has asked the employees who have recently returned from a foreign tour or if they were in contact with those persons who have travelled to foreign countries to furnish details.
According to the instructions, those who had travelled abroad should be kept in home isolation for 14 days from the date of arrival. Further, it has asked the staff report for duty only when they are totally free of any symptoms of the illness.