Guideline for orderly resumption of work released

The Shanghai Commission of Economy and Informatization issued a guideline on Saturday for enterprises to start the orderly resumption of work with controlled risks against this round of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I. Enterprises to shoulder main responsibility

1. Enterprises should set up special management teams for pandemic control and production facilitation. Chiefs of different levels should take up main responsibility for pandemic prevention and control.

2. Enterprises should map out plans for pandemic control with closed loops that are acknowledged by the authorities. The prevention should incorporate personnel, stuffs and environment. For those unqualified, work resumption is not allowed.

II. To implement zoning and category-based management of areas

3. To implement category-based management according to different areas such as factory entrance, production area (e.g. workshop, meeting room, and etc.), living area (e.g. canteen, dormitory, gym, and etc.), bathroom and waste disposal site, and public space (e.g. road and outdoor site).

4. To implement different pandemic prevention standards for different areas according to their degree of contact with the external environment. Personnel in medium and high risk areas must wear N95/KN95 masks, while those in low risk areas shall wear disposable surgical masks.

5. To carry out physical distancing measures between areas, and implement "two dots and one line" management of workplace and dwelling, with all personnel working and lodging in designated positions to minimize direct contact between different areas. To strengthen the management of the junctions between areas to eliminate the risk.

6. To strictly manage the staff dormitory, and forbid other people to enter and leave at will. Staff in the same office, working in the same shift or group should be arranged in the same room. To set a certain period for employees newly returning to work to offer independent accommodation and living conditions.

7. To implement decentralized dining at different times, pay attention to the layout of cafeteria's dining area. Tables and chairs should be placed in the same direction with partition plates refitted between them. When taking meals, people should maintain a safe social distance of more than one meter, and it is recommended to eat alone in a safe environment.

8. To strengthen the cleaning and disinfection of all kinds of areas, especially pay attention to the anti-pandemic management of confined and semi-confined spaces and common spaces, and carry out disinfection in place for the logistics handover places in the factory.

9. To enhance the management of meetings, trying to use video, telephone and other online methods. As for the meetings that have to be held centrally, participants should do a good job of personal protection and strictly control the frequency, time and scale of meetings.

III.To strengthen employee management

10. All staff including core management personnel, functional management staff, logistics services providers, contractor staff as well as third-party assistant staff, should all follow undifferentiated anti-pandemic rules. Epidemic prevention training and publicity shall be carried out at all levels to enhance employees' self-protection awareness and capability.

11. Companies should carry out closed-loop management and make sure no physical contact is made when different groups of employees commence shifts, and all on-site staff shall restrain from going outside as much as possible. They should arrange transportation vehicles for staff returning to working spaces for direct drop-off at designated spots. There should be strict control measures for external visitors at production sites or offices. Visitors must hold a negative nucleic acid test certificate within 48 hours and on-site negative antigen test results.

12. For on-site staff, there would be one antigen test in the morning and one nucleic acid testing in the evening every day. A designated staff member shall work out a summary of the health status of all on-site personnel on a daily basis. Those with suspected symptoms of COVID diseases such as fever, dry cough and fatigue should be moved to a temporary space for isolation and shall carry out follow-up measures in accordance with relevant regulations. All employees should be fully vaccinated and those eligible should also get a booster shot.

13. Unnecessary gathering activities are prohibited, and employees should refrain from visiting indoor spaces with poor ventilation and crowded places.

14. Employers shall also strengthen the physical and mental care of employees and help solve their difficulties in work and life to ensure they're in good shape.

IV. To improve logistics management and stock up on anti-pandemic materials

15. Designated routes and places must be set to handle the incoming delivery of both production materials and living supplies and should be separated from other areas within the factory. The vehicles and staff from the suppliers should strictly follow the anti-pandemic rules and a fixed group of personnel should be set up to handle the reception, loading and unloading, storage, unpacking and disinfection of goods.

16. Staff workers on the enterprises' own logistics vehicles must bring with them a negative nucleic acid test report from within the previous 48 hours or a negative self-test antigen report from within the past 24 hours. The driver must wear protective items including a face mask and gloves.

17. Enterprises should manage their stock of anti-pandemic materials well, and make purchases of antigen self-test kits, face masks, alcohol-based disinfectants, hand sanitizers, infrared thermo-detectors, thermal imaging detectors, protective suits, goggles, disposable gloves, etc. whenever necessary. A minimum 14 days' supply of anti-pandemic materials is suggested.

18. Used protective items should be gathered and disposed in a proper and safe way.

V. Make emergency response plans to ensure safe production

19. Enterprises shall formulate their disposal plans in case of emergency, and once there is an emergency, the diffusion and spillover effect must be controlled to the maximum extent, so as to ensure safe production. They are ordered to strengthen emergency drills so that employees are familiar with the emergency procedures and measures for pandemic prevention and control. On the other hand, good communication with local governments should be established to ensure a smooth channel for transportation and treatment of people who are diagnosed with COVID-19.

20. Enterprises should set up temporary isolated observation areas in proportion of their employees, and those with a large number of employees should set up shelter in the factory area. For staff's abnormal antigen detection and nucleic acid detection, companies should report the cases to the official in charge and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in the area where they are located, and arrange relevant close contact staff to take temporary isolation measures.

21. District governments should actively support enterprises to resume work and production, guide enterprises on a "one-on-one" basis, dispose of medical waste in time, and ensure good supplies for pandemic prevention materials and living goods.