Our Coronavirus Advisory

Vedashini Federation has been closely monitoring the dynamic situation of COVID-19, and we strongly believe that the health and well-being of our partners and customers remains top of mind and our highest priority. Our philosophy as am organisation is to approach this situation with empathy and urgency, and we will continue to act thoughtfully and courageously despite the disruption and uncertainty, this pandemic has brought to our daily lives.

Our focus remains on two key priorities: Caring for the health and well-being of our customers and other stakeholders, and playing a constructive role in supporting local health officials and government leaders as they work to contain the virus.

In order to help prevent the spread of the virus, we have implemented the following measures:

• Ensuring our workplaces are clean and hygienic
• Promoting regular and thorough hand-washing by employees, customers, and other stakeholders
• Promoting good respiratory hygiene in our workplaces
• Managing COVID-19 risk when organizing meetings
• Implementing a response plan in case someone at the meeting becomes ill with symptoms of COVID-19
• Maintaining certain protocols if and when our employees are travelling
• Aarogya Setu app download mandatory for all our employees and partners

Combating COVID-19 with Resilience

• Ensuring our workplaces are clean and hygienic

Since contamination on surfaces touched by employees and customers is, one of the main ways that COVID-19 spreads, we are regularly cleaning the surfaces and objects at our workplaces such as armrests, desks, tables, seats, doorknobs, toilet facilities, and others with alcohol disinfectants.

• Promoting regular and thorough hand-washing by employees, customers, and other stakeholders

We have installed sanitizing hand rub dispensers in our workplaces and we are ensuring that those dispensers are refilled regularly.

Since washing kills the virus on your hands and prevents the spread of COVID-19, we are also making sure that our staff, customers, and other stakeholders have access to places where they can wash their hands with soap and water.

Ensuring the provision of warm water for employees, customers, and other stakeholders visiting our workplaces.

• Promoting good respiratory hygiene in our workplaces

Ensuring that all our employees, customers, and other stakeholders wear facemasks and medical gloves to conduct any activity while visiting our workplaces.

Encouraging all stakeholders to cover their face with the bend of their elbow or tissue if they cough or sneeze. Ensuring that facemasks and/or paper tissues are available at our workplaces, for those who develop a runny nose or cough at work, along with closed bins for hygienically disposing of them.

Keeping our windows and doors open whenever possible to make sure the venue is well ventilated. We have also arranged the seats of our workplaces in such a way that the staff, visitors, and other stakeholders visiting us, are at least 6 ft. apart.

Briefing our employees, customers and other stakeholders that if COVID-19 starts spreading in their community, anyone with even a mild cough or low-grade fever needs to stay at home and self-isolate.

• Managing COVID-19 risk when organizing meetings

We have developed a preparedness plan to prevent infection at our meetings, and we are implementing it, following a thorough discussion with our key partners such as public health and health care authorities.

Pre-ordering sufficient supplies and materials, including tissues and hand sanitizer for all participants, and having surgical masks available to offer anyone who develops respiratory symptoms.

Actively monitoring where COVID-19 is circulating and advising participants in advance that if they have any symptoms or feel unwell, they should not attend. We are also considering whether a face-to-face meeting or event is needed, and could it be replaced by a teleconference.

Making sure all participants of the meetings provide contact details: mobile telephone number, email and address where they are staying. Additionally, we will share the details with local public health authorities if any participant becomes ill with a suspected infectious disease.

• Implementing a response plan in case someone at the meeting becomes ill with symptoms of COVID-19

We have identified a particular area where someone who is feeling unwell or has symptoms can be safely isolated, and ultimately can be safely transferred from there to a health facility.

• Maintaining certain protocols if and when our employees are travelling

We are avoiding sending our employees who may be at higher risk of serious illness (e.g. older employees and those with medical conditions such as diabetes, heart and lung disease) to areas where COVID-19 is spreading.

Issuing employees who are travelling with small bottles of alcohol-based hand rub, which facilitates regular hand washing. While traveling, we are encourage our employees to wash their hands regularly and stay at least one meter away from people who are coughing or sneezing.

Ensuring employees know what to do and who to contact if they are feeling ill while traveling, and also that our employees comply with instructions from local authorities where they are traveling.

Employees who have returned from an area where COVID-19 is spreading are being instructed to monitor themselves for symptoms for 14 days and take their temperature twice a day. If they develop even a mild cough or low-grade fever, they are being told to stay at home and self-isolate.

• Aarogya Setu app download mandatory for all our employees and partners

We have made mandatory for all our employees and partners to download the Aarogya Setu in their mobile phones.

Aarogya Setu is a mobile application developed by the Government of India to connect essential health services with the people of India to combat the COVID-19 crisis. It is designed to inform its users a number of important details regarding risks, best practices and relevant advisories pertaining to the containment of Covid-19.

The app uses Bluetooth and location data to trace the movement of users and track whether they have been exposed to a Covid-19 positive person. It is available on both the Google Play Store and the App Store.

If you have not downloaded Aarogya Setu app yet, you can download now. To download the app, visit the official website MyGov.in from any browser. Alternatively, you can download the app on your Android from Play Store and on your iOS device from App Store.

Information on the COVID-19 Virus

In conjunction with Vedashini Federation’s advisory on coronavirus, this section contains valuable information regarding the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 that readers can access to educate themselves and answer some questions they may have about it.

What is the coronavirus or COVID-19?

In January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of a new coronavirus disease in Hubei Province, China to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and stated there is a high risk of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spreading to other countries around the world.

COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus, which is from the same family of viruses as SARS, MERS and the common cold. The symptoms of the COVID-19 are similar to that of regular pneumonia.

How does this virus spread?

When someone who has COVID-19 coughs or exhales they release droplets of infected fluid. Most of these droplets fall on nearby surfaces and objects – such as desks, tables or telephones. People could catch COVID-19 by touching contaminated surfaces or objects – and then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. If they are standing within one meter of a person with COVID-19, they can catch it by breathing in droplets coughed out or exhaled by them. In other words, COVID-19 spreads in a similar way to flu.

Most persons infected with COVID-19 experience mild symptoms and recover. However, some go on to experience illness that is more serious and may require hospital care. Risk of serious illness rises with age and people over 40 seem to be more vulnerable. People with weakened immune systems and people with conditions such as diabetes, heart and lung disease are also more vulnerable to serious illness.

What are the symptoms?

Fever (greater than 100.4 Fahrenheit), dry cough, breathing difficulty and GI symptoms like nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. This may seem similar to the Flu. So when in doubt, please get tested since the course of the disease and the consequences are quite different.

What are the mortality and recovery rates?

The global mortality rate is around 3.5% while the recovery rate is over 50%. According to the World Health Organization, the mortality rate is about 3.4%. In contrast, the global mortality rate of influenza is about 0.1%. The highest risk factors for COVID-19 mortality are age and immune status. People over the age of 60 are at significantly high risk compared to those less than 60 years old. People over the age of 80 are at the highest risk of mortality. People with any immune-compromised states including those from diabetes, medications or co-morbid ailments are also at increased risk.

How can you reduce the risk of getting or transmitting this disease?

Here are a few important steps to reduce the risk of infection and transmission of the novel coronavirus:

Social distancing: This means you deliberately increase the physical space between people to at least 6 feet. What this can do is slow down the spread of the disease.

Quarantine: Many countries and states have enforced quarantines.

Self-quarantine: If you are suspected of being infected or suspect that, you may have been exposed to a confirmed infected person, stay at home for at least 14 days.

If you are sick, stay home, be vigilant to the symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever (greater than 100.4 Fahrenheit) and dry cough. Also, please wear a facemask when you are around other people or pets.

Be Safe and Wash your hands: Do this often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

Maintain cleanliness: Please do not touch your face unless you have just washed your hands. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. Alternatively, if tissue is not available, cover with your elbow. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Avoid long-distance travel: Try to avoid international or long-distance travel while the World Health Organization (WHO) have active travel warnings and avoid large gatherings or congregations if possible.

We know that everybody’s circumstances are different, and if you have suggestions for how we can better support you, please let us know by emailing at lnfo@vedashinifederation.in. Our executive team will read every message we get. We promise to listen to your concerns, learn from your feedback, and continually look for ways for all of us to navigate this situation with empathy.