The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has underscored the need for States to ensure that economic recovery remains on track to enable people to recover to pre-pandemic income levels.
Submitting a set of recommendations on continuity of economic activities during COVID-19, CII in a letter to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao said social and economic activities needed to be considered separately. Social activities, in particular mass gatherings for any social sports, entertainment and recreation should be restricted to curtail further spread of the Omicron variant.
It suggested a containment strategy based on micro zones. “These are small, clearly marked geographical areas identified and demarcated by district administration such as neighbourhoods, villages, talukas, urban bodies and pin-codes to monitor and manage the outbreak. Containment at micro zones should be considered only when available hospital beds are 75% occupied. Depending on this, the micro zones can be progressively closed or opened up. Random sampling for testing and sero-positivity and early warning systems will facilitate tracking the spread of the contagion and considering response measures,” CII Telangana said in a release on the letter.
Normal economic activities should continue elsewhere in the district. Even in the micro containment zones, all factories may be allowed to function under strict supervision and complying with hygiene and safety norms.
Work from home
Work from home should be encouraged as far as possible for offices, the industry body said. While seeking to highlight how crowd control remains essential to enable social distancing, CII said there should be no distinction between essential and non-essential goods and services. All shops may be permitted to open without restrictions on the timing to avoid crowding.
CII Southern Region Chairman C. K. Ranganathan said ensuring continuity and sustainability of businesses during the ongoing COVID crisis was extremely important, especially for micro, small and medium enterprises. CII is working with the State government towards business continuity and supporting MSMEs to overcome the economic downturn by facilitating cross sector initiatives and policy interventions. He thanked Telangana government for supporting industries during the pandemic and urged it to continue doing so for economic development of the State.
“Calibrated restrictions would help the State sustain the growth momentum and ensure livelihoods during this challenging times,” CII Telangana Chairman Sameer Goel said.
