NCSCM issues COVID-19 infection control guideline for workplaces

AMMAN — The National Centre for Security and Crisis Management (NCSCM) on Sunday issued a comprehensive guideline that should be taken if a COVID-19 case is registered at a public or private institution.

The guideline urges employees to implement a set of precautionary procedures if they show virus symptoms, such as leaving the workplace immediately and observing self-isolation at home for 10 days if they were asymptomatic and a 13-day quarantine if they show mild symptoms, provided that the last three days are asymptomatic.

According to the guideline, COVID-19 positive employees can resume work after observing the designated home quarantine without having to undergo a PCR test, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

As for procedures that should be taken by the institutions, the instructions oblige institutions to inform the healthcare directorate at the governorate in the event they register any COVID-19 case, close the institution for 24 hours and identify direct contacts of individuals tested positive for the virus.

The instructions defined direct contacts as those who were in face-to-face contact with the confirmed cases for at least 15 minutes within 1.5 metres distance and less.

The institution has to direct the employees who were in direct contact with confirmed cases to observe home quarantine for 10 days with making two tests at the expense of the institution.

If the case is registered in the private sector, COVID-19 positive employees have to undergo a test upon diagnosing with the virus and a second before resuming work.

The guideline also obliges institutions to test indirect contacts upon registering cases, while those who test negative can resume work, Petra reported.

Private sector institutions with confirmed cases have to sterilise their venues through a private company, while public departments have to inform the NCSCM for sterilisation.

Under the guideline, the healthcare directorate in each governorate is tasked with assessing the level of risk at a certain institution, before deciding whether work can be resumed.

The directorate also has to inform the operations room in the governorate with any decision of closure for more than 24 hours or if an institution does not adhere to the recommendations of the directorate.