Measures to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in workplace settings: Public health perspective

Abstract

The ongoing global coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has been declared as a pandemic, a public health emergency of international concern, and also as a disease which has shown a very high risk of global transmission. The available evidence suggests that the disease is being transmitted through close contacts or through droplets and thus the probability of acquiring the infection at workplace becomes very high, wherein a group of people work in constrained settings. This calls for the need to implement specific measures to minimize the probability of acquisition of infection. In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace, it is a must that it should be kept clean and hygienic and practices to promote better respiratory hygiene and hand hygiene should be envisaged. Further, specific interventions should be taken to improve the mental health of the employees by supporting them to alleviate their fear and anxiety associated with the disease. In conclusion, the effective containment of the COVID-19 pandemic requires a multisectoral approach and thus, we have to get our workplace ready and ensure the safety of the employees and be together in our battle against the novel infection.