KAMPALA – The Ministry of Public Service has directed all public offices, ministries and agencies to maintain only 30% staff in office while another 70% should continue working from home as part of the gradual easing of the Covid-19 lockdown.
In a circular issued on June 5, 2020 by Ms Catherine Bitarakwate Musingwiire, the Permanent Secretary, said the post-lockdown Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are meant to ensure safety of all public employees.
Ms Musingwire said each Ministry, Department, Agency and Local Government should identify 30% of its total workforce to remain on duty to ensure that critical services are provided promptly while 70% of the workforce will continue to offer their services remotely in line with Circular letter No. 6 of 2020.
“When exigencies of duty/service demand that an employee in category (b) above is required to handle specific assignments that may require his/her physical presence at the workplace, nothing in this circular will deter a Responsible Officer from calling the Officer back to office. Employees in category (a) and (b) should avail themselves physically or remotely whenever called upon to perform their duties,” she said.
The PS also said responsible Officers must put in place crowd management strategies at the work premises while ensuring social distancing in all their engagements with their external and internal clients.
“Responsible Officers should provide the general Public with vital institutional contacts. Clients seeking for guidance or intending to make consultations with Public Offices should be encouraged to use the officially publicized websites, emails and telephone lines of Ministries, Departments, Agencies and Local Governments. This will limit physical interaction. Visitors/clients should not be allowed entry into office premises with exception of services where personal presence is inevitable for example Medical treatment,” she said.
See full circular below
………………………………………………………………………………………
5th June 2020
To all Responsible Officers
Ministries, Departments, Agencies and Local Governments
CIRCULAR LETTER NO. 7 OF 2020
POST-LOCKDOWN STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR
OFFICE OPERATIONS IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE OF UGANDA
Following the directive of His Excellency the President of Uganda on partial lifting of the lockdown specifically permitting private vehicles and Public Transport services to operate at one half capacity, movement of Public Officers to and from their work premises has been eased and a number of them have resumed work.
To ensure that Government continues to deliver quality services while mitigating the spread of COVID-19, the Ministry of Public Service has developed post-lockdown Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to guide the operations of the Public Service.
I. Staffing:
a) Each Ministry, Department, Agency and Local Government should identify 30% of its total workforce to remain on duty to ensure that critical services are provided promptly.
b) 70% of the workforce will continue to offer their services remotely in line with Circular letter No. 6 of 2020.
c) When exigencies of duty/service demand that an employee in category (b) above is required to handle specific assignments that may require his/her physical presence at the workplace, nothing in this circular will deter a Responsible Officer from calling the Officer back to office.
d) Employees in category (a) and (b) should avail themselves physically or remotely whenever called upon to •erform their duties.
Mission: To provide human resource policies, management systems and structures that facilitate efficient and effective public service performance for national development and improved quality of life in Uganda
2. Decongesting office premises and limiting physical interaction:
a) Responsible Officers must put in place crowd management strategies at the work premises while ensuring social distancing in all their engagements with their external and internal clients.
b) Responsible Officers should provide the general Public with vital institutional contacts. Clients seeking for guidance or intending to make consultations with Public Offices should be encouraged to use the officially publicized websites, emails and telephone lines of Ministries, Departments, Agencies and Local Governments. This will limit physical interaction.
c) Visitors/clients should not be allowed entry into office premises with exception of services where personal presence is inevitable for example Medical treatment.
3. Employee Health and safety:
a) Ensure and enforce mandatory use of face masks, thermal scanning, sanitization at entrances and office premises. Employees are required to sanitize their hands before proceeding to their work spaces. Inevitable visitors are required to sanitize their hands before approaching Public offices and staff.
b) Employees with flu, cough, cold and fever must stay home and seek medical treatment after informing their respective Responsible Officers.
c) While within the office premises, employees should limit physical interaction with fellow employees.
d) Responsible officers must ensure that appropriate protective equipment as guided by Ministry of Health is made available to all employees and usage is adhered to by all employees.
e) Employees should be encouraged to use their personal vehicles or officially allocated vehicles for commuting to and from the workplace. Official vehicles may be provided to pick and drop required Officers who don’t have private vehicles.
0 Physical Meetings should not be held, Video conferences/conference calls should be used as an alternative. For emergency situations where a physical meeting is inevitable, it should be held outdoors, with a composition of up to
Mission: To provide human resource policies, management systems and structures that facilitate efficient and effective public service performance for national development and improved quality of life
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a maximum of ten (10) participants and social distance should be observed in line with the guidelines issued by Ministry of Health.
g) Employees within the advanced age bracket, persons with co-morbidities and breast-feeding mothers should be supported to work from home.
h) Intensive communication and training on good hygiene practices should be undertaken following the Ministry of Health guidelines.
i) Responsible Officers should ensure that there is a gap of one hour between shifts for employees working in shifts. Lunch breaks should also be staggered to ensure social distancing in cafeteria/canteens hosted at work premises. Alternatively, employees should be encouraged to come with their own packed food.
j) Responsible Officers should ensure that lifts/hoists/elevators operate at one half capacity where they exist. Use of staircase/ramps is highly encouraged.
k) Frequent disinfection of high-touch surfaces such as door handles, lifts/elevators and their buttons, vehicles (especially commonly used vehicles), shuttle buses, and all other surfaces such as hand railings and office tables should be done.
4. Emergency response:
a) A list of hospitals/clinics/health facilities authorized to test and treat COVID-19 patients in areas near the office premises should be displayed in strategic places at the work place at all the times.
b) In case of emergence of Covid-19 like symptoms in any employee, Responsible Officers should report the case to the contacts given by the Ministry of Health.
You are required to implement and bring the content of this Circular letter to the attention of all staff under your jurisdiction. It should be implemented together with the earlier guidelines issued by this Ministry and the Ministry of Health.
