Amid Coronavirus Breakdown, Central Government Employees Exempted From Biometric Attendance

The Central government on Friday asked all the ministries and departments to exempt their employees from marking biometric attendance till March 31, 2020. "In view of coronavirus, all Ministries/Departments are requested to exempt their employees to mark biometric attendance in Aadhaar-based Biometric Attendance System till 31 March, 2020. However, all employees are required to mark their attendance in the register," the government said in a statement.

The move is part of preventive measures taken by the government to stop COVID-19 from spreading. "Though only a small number of novel coronavirus cases are reported in our country but keeping in view the nature of the virus, it is a must to take all possible preventive measures to stop the spread of the virus," the statement reads.

"It is learnt that the most common method of transmission of virus seems to be through infected surfaces. Therefore, it is desirable to avoid touching surfaces, which might be infected due to human touch," it added.

Family members quarantined

Meanwhile, seven family members of a man who tested positive for coronavirus after his visit to Thailand have been quarantined at their residence in west Delhi, a health official said on Friday.

The 25-year-old man, who also travelled to Malaysia, has tested positive for COVID-19, taking the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the national capital to three.

"The family of the patient comprising his wife, parents, brother, sister-in-law and their two kids has been home quarantined. Their samples have been taken for testing," the Delhi government health official said.

The office of the patient, who has been shifted to the Safdarjung Hopsital for treatment, is in Gurgaon but he operated from his residence.

"The patient, his wife, brother and sister-in-law worked from home," the official said, adding that they are trying to trace the other people the patient came in contact with. A Paytm employee who tested positive for coronavirus is also a resident of west Delhi.

So far, 31 people have tested positive for coronavirus in India, according to the Union Health Ministry.

With PTI Inputs