Shanghai updated guidelines on industrial work resumption amid pandemic

The second edition of the Guidelines for Shanghai Industrial Enterprises to Resume Production with Pandemic Prevention and Control has been released, with several articles modified and some new measures added.

The responsibilities of "four parties" – namely, governments at all levels, competent authorities of various industries, enterprises and employees – are clarified.

Enterprises should set up different risk areas, such as a green zone for normal production, a blue zone for observation of new entrants, a yellow zone for close contacts or secondary close contacts, and a red zone for the infected. Each zone should be isolated from each other.

Category-based management should be carried out for different functional areas of enterprises, which can be mainly divided into handover areas (such as entrances and exits, loading and unloading sites and warehouses), production and operation areas (such as workshops, conference rooms, and office areas), living areas (such as cafeterias, dormitories and gymnasiums), public health areas (such as bathrooms and waste disposal sites), and public spaces (such as roads and outdoor areas).

The revision also refines the cleaning and disinfection requirements for frequently touched surfaces (such as handrails, door handles, elevator buttons, delivery storage racks, and express parcels), places with heavy foot traffic, public restrooms, logistics exchange places, and etc.

Returning personnel and new hires have to take two tests each day – an antigen test in the morning and a nucleic acid test in the afternoon, according to the revised guidelines.

Workplace safety has been highlighted, with the management, education, training and propaganda of production safety all being mentioned.

The amendment also clarifies the management requirements of enterprises in different types of zones.

Those in lockdown areas should arrange employees to take two tests each day (an antigen test in the morning and a nucleic acid test in the afternoon), companies in control zones should arrange an antigen test each day and a nucleic acid test every two days, while those under precaution should have an antigen test each day and a nucleic acid test within five days.

Companies should also strengthen measures on psychological and mental stress relief for employees.

In terms of logistics management, drivers and passengers of enterprises' logistics vehicles should all have a negative nucleic acid test report within 48 hours, and the used personal protective equipments should be disposed of separately.

Special management measures should also be formulated and implemented to prevent diffusion and stamp out spillage.

Apart from the detailed revisions, several new articles have been included in the second edition of the guidelines.

Enterprises should carry out special disinfection and production safety checks before resumption of work, strengthen safety management of key areas and dangerous operations, reasonably arrange work schedules, and strictly prevent overworked operations and disregard for safety to speed up the work.

The amendment pays more attention to strengthening services for enterprises resuming work and production.

It asks all districts to announce the application process and qualifications for the work resumption of industrial enterprises.

Enterprises should submit applications to the business park, town or district where they are located. They can organize resumption of work and production after approval from the district epidemic prevention and control department.

District governments, streets, towns and business parks should actively support enterprises to resume work and production, guide them to formulate their own solutions on pandemic prevention and control, resumption of work and production safety.

Authorities should set up nucleic acid testing sites and offer testing services, and ensure supplies of anti-pandemic materials and daily necessities.

Enterprises that meet the conditions of pandemic prevention and control can apply for a "return to work permit", and their employees returning to work can then show the permit on the Suishenban mobile application to the neighborhood/village committee where they live. Committees will check the permit and the ID card, and confirm the building where they live has been free of positive cases in the previous seven days. After taking an on-site antigen self-test and registering, employees are free to leave their communities.

Eligible enterprises can apply for the pass for cross-provincial movement of freight vehicles. After approval, their drivers can apply for a digital pass on the Suishenban application.

Companies carrying out closed-loop production can apply to authorities for employee shifts. Those returning home must show negative nucleic acid test results from within the prior 48 hours along with taking an antigen self-test at the entrances of neighborhoods.