The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday decided to reopen all its offices across the Union Territory at full strength starting from Saturday. (Express file photo by Shuaib Masoodi)

THE Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday decided to reopen all its offices across the Union Territory at full strength starting from Saturday.

However, older employees, pregnant employees and those with underlying medical conditions would not be assigned work involving direct dealing with the general public, according to a government order issued by the General Administration Department here.

“All the officers and staff, at all levels, shall attend office on a regular basis on all working days with effect from June 6,” stated the order.

“…employees who are at higher risk i.e. older employees, pregnant employees and those who have underlying medical conditions should take extra precautions and should preferably not be exposed to any front line work requiring direct contact with the public,” it further read, asking “office management to facilitate work from home wherever feasible”.

The government also ordered the suspension of routine issuing of visitor/temporary passes, adding that only those visitors with proper permission from the official they want to meet should be allowed after being screened.

The order added that biometric attendance would continue to remain suspended until further order and asked all departments to follow the preventive measures prescribed by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the standard operating procedure for containing the spread of Covid-19.

So far, government offices in the Union Territory had been working at 30 per cent staff strength in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.