Coronavirus: Guidelines issued to Dubai workers

Dubai: The Permanent Committee of Labour Affairs in Dubai (PCLA) has issued coronavirus guidelines for workers, drivers and accommodation supervisors, distributing it to 500 companies in Dubai to ensure their safety.

The guidance comes within a series of extensive awareness initiatives and campaigns by the PCLA on the prevention measures to be taken to combat the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

The campaigns were targeting companies across the Emirate of Dubai, labourers accommodations and workplaces, in order to spread awareness among this category about the risk of the pandemic and guide them to take preventative measure against getting infected with the virus.

Major General Obaid Muhair Bin Surour, Deputy Director General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs, and Chairman of the PCLA, said the committee is constantly keen to provide the best working conditions for all workers in the emirate to ensure their safety.

He added, the committee is moving to support the government’s efforts in Dubai to combat against the pandemic, “and our duty and responsibility is to continue efforts to achieve the highest level of protection, especially with the extension of the sterilisation programme to 24 hours a day.”

The PLCA team carried out a field visit to the labourers at accommodations from March 15 to guide workers and educate them with preventative measures to protect against the virus (COVID-19) and to ensure that the workers are familiar with health and safety regulations.

Guidance and awareness posters were distributed to labourers accommodations in different languages (Arabic, Urdu, Hindi and English) to encourage them to commit to health procedures to deal with the pandemic. Sanitisation and hygiene kits are also being distributed to the workers.

The PLCA also provide contact numbers of Health Authority, Dubai Police and labour committee to workers. An awareness broadcast was launched in several languages on how to prevent worker health and how to deal with disease if any injury occurred.

The guidance includes the definition of the virus, the way of transmission and how it spreads, the precautions to be taken at the personal level to protect from this virus. The guidance was distributed to 500 companies across the Emirate of Dubai and direct them towards taking measures for workers, their accommodation and public transport.

Major General bin Surour revealed that the guidance is in line with the UAE National Agenda 2021, which aim to achieve a world-class healthcare system. Where the county works in cooperation with all health authorities in the country to establish the preventive aspect, reduce rate of diseases and health risk, and dealing with disasters and epidemic in professional and accurate manner, through following the health rules according to the highest international standards.

He added, the societal and institutional awareness has great role in dealing with the dangers arising from the occurrence of such disasters.

Major General Bin Surour confirmed the UAE’s efforts to provide all means of health awareness and protection from this disease. Describing the guidance as one of those ways to spread awareness and follow the right steps in the cruel moments that the community and the companies passing through.

“The guidance is a comprehensive reference for dealing with emergency in labourers accommodations and workplaces, and it also sets out the strict health rules that must be complied with, in order to reach any minimal damage at all levels,” said Bin Surour.