If the peak of the Coronavirus epidemic should be reached between the middle of May and June, the government has nevertheless eased confinement restrictions of Grand Libreville, one of the epicenters of spread of Covid-19 . This new situation implies the resumption of work within this territorial space from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., the time slot adopted in this context
“We have to get used to living with the Coronavirus, we don’t know how long it will last. If it lasts one year, we cannot confine the population for one year.” The Premier minister Julien Nkoghé Bekale explained, while announcing the easing of the methods of confinement of Grand Libreville.
In this context, the Minister of the Civil Service announced the resumption of professional activities both in public administration and in the private sector, with a reduction in working hours. This time “was set from 7:30 am to 2:00 pm”, informed Madeleine Berre who indicates that the reduction of the legal working time is based on decrees adopted in the Council of Ministers.
These decrees allow companies and the administration to derogate from decree Number 933 fixing the working hours from 7:30 to 15:30. “In this context, it is recommended to companies and to the central administration as well as to all the secretaries general to be kind enough to note that the rules which were decreed within the framework of this health crisis are still applied”, the Minister of the Civil Service specified, indicating that the limitation of staff flows, as well as the number of people in the offices is required.
Madeleine Berre, however, encourages the use of telework for those who are not obliged to move, the use of rotation and alternating work to avoid having more than 10 staff in the offices. “These rules must be respected,” she insisted. With this in mind, she also recommends protecting vulnerable people, especially those who already have diseases such as diabetes, tension and much more, in order to prevent their health from deteriorating in the event that they come across a carrier of virus was asymptomatic.
“We recommend that vulnerable people stay at home and use teleworking,” she insisted, calling on those who go to offices to respect the mandatory wearing of masks as well as the barrier measures and gestures. “To this end we will monitor with a certain rigor, the respect of these standards within all companies and in central administration,” she warned.
The Minister of the Civil Service also reminded the unions and social partners of the scrupulous respect for the rules of limitation of people, in case they organize meetings. “No more than 10,” she reiterated, stressing that it is just as difficult to plan demonstrations and communications between the ministry in her charge, and the latter as it was before this health crisis. “We are obliged to respect these limits in order to avoid deteriorating the work already carried out,” she concludes.
