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Newsroom, June 5: The union health ministry has announced new rules for shopping malls which have been permitted to open from June 8, except those falling in containment zones.

The guidelines will come into effect from Monday and cinema halls, gaming arcades and children play areas in these establishments will remain closed.

Here is the complete list of standard operating procedures issued by the ministry to be followed in shopping malls to contain the spread of COVID-19.

•   Thermal screening of all visitors mandatory at entry point, along with compulsory hand hygiene. Only asymptomatic visitors will be allowed to enter the shopping mall .

•  It will be mandatory for all visitors as well as workers to wear face masks at all times inside the mall. 

•  Posters and audio-visual media on preventive measures about COVID-19 should be displayed prominently.

•  Visitor entry to shopping malls should be allowed in a staggered manner and adequate manpower be deployed by mall management for ensuring social distancing norms.

•  All employees who are at higher risk like elderly, pregnant women and those having underlying medical conditions should take extra precautions. They should preferably not be exposed to any front-line work requiring direct contact with the public.

•   Proper crowd management in the parking lots and outside the premises – duly following social distancing norms shall be ensured. Preferably, separate entry and exits for visitors, workers and goods/supplies shall be organised.

•   The staff for home deliveries should be screened thermally by the shopping mall authorities prior to allowing home deliveries and required precautions while handling supplies, inventories and goods in the shopping mall must be ensured.

•   Physical distancing of a minimum of 6 feet, when queuing up for entry and inside the shopping mall should be maintained as far as feasible while the number of customers inside the shop should be kept at a minimum, so as to maintain the physical distancing norms.

•   The number of people in the elevators should be restricted and use of escalators with one person on alternate steps should be encouraged.

•   Number of people in the elevators shall be restricted, duly maintaining social distancing norms. Use of escalators with one person on alternate steps may be encouraged.

•   Effective and frequent sanitation within the premises shall be maintained with particular focus on lavatories, drinking and hand washing stations/areas

•   Cleaning and regular disinfection of frequently touched surfaces  to be made mandatory in all malls in common areas as well as inside shops, elevators, escalators etc.

•   In the food-courts, adequate crowd and queue management is to be ensured and not more than 50 per cent of seating capacity should be permitted.

•   Food court staff should wear mask and hand gloves and take other required precautionary measures, the seating arrangement should ensure adequate social distancing between patrons as far as feasible and tables should be sanitized each time a customer leaves.

•   Gaming arcades, children play areas and cinema halls inside shopping malls shall remain closed.

•   Spitting should be strictly prohibited and installation and use of Aarogya Setu App shall be advised to all.

•   The ministry advised persons aged above 65, those having comorbidities, pregnant women and children below the age of 10  to stay at home, except for essential and health purposes.

Benglauru, June 14: Even as schools are divided over providing online education, the state Higher Education Department is stressing on continuing online education.

Deputy Chief Minister and Higher Education Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan has stressed the need for digital learning to eliminate educational inequalities.

Taking part in a Webinar on ‘Digitising Higher Education - Challenges and Opportunities,’ organised by the Padmashree Institute of Management, he asked educational institutions to give emphasis to digital learning.

“Digital learning is a means to ensure quality education to all sections of the society without discrimination on the basis of caste, region and religion. This is a solution to eliminate discrimination. Through digital learning, a student in a remote village will also get an opportunity to learn from an experienced and highly qualified teacher.”

In addition to this, students are getting study material in digital form. Keeping these important aspects in mind, all educational institutions should give stress to digital learning without wasting any time,’’ he said.

He, however, admitted that digital learning has its own challenges like - quality internet connectivity, laptops and mobile gadgets.

“We are trying to find a solution to it by raising funds through Corporate Social Responsibility or through government funds,” he said. “We are making efforts to provide 4G network across the State,” he said.

Mangalore, May 2: More than 500 families received ration kits in a distribution drive conducted by St Agnes College in outskirts of Mangaluru on Wednesday.

Since the lockdown was announced, the management, staff and alumni of St Agnes College are playing an active role in ensuring no one is deprived of food and essentials during these challenging pandemic times.

The College as part of its Agnes towards Community (ATC) programme had adopted villages such as Munnur, Harekala, Amlamogaru, Someshwara and Pavur. Various development drives are conducted in these villages by the staff and students. However, due to the COVID-19 lockdown, the activities undertaken in these villages were kept on hold.

The College recently received information from its network that several families in these villages are struggling for food and essentials.

The College management in association with its alumni and well-wishers took-up the initiative to distribute ration kits consisting of rice, dal, spices, tea powder, hygiene products and other essentials to 500 needy families belonging to these villages.

The drive was held in presence of Zilla Panchayat member Dhanalakshmi Gatty and other Gram Panchayat members.

"We were able to provide food to 600 and more families in different villages and to the stranded migrant workers in the city during this time of crisis because of the generous contributions of our staff, alumni and well wishes" says Sr Dr. M. Jeswina A.C.

The College management expresses its gratitude to all donors, especially the staff, alumni and those associated with the college.