Chandigarh, May 8: The Punjab Government today issued the advisory on maintaining and ensuring the safety of food and other essential household items during the COVID-19 pandemic.Giving details, an official spokesman of Health and Family Welfare department said here today that the Punjab Government has imposed severe restrictions on free movement of people in the larger public interest of controlling the spread/transmission of Corona virus.

The spokes man further said that the customers are advised not to indulge in any handshakes/hugs even with a known acquaintance. Similarly, the shop-owners/delivery staff should not handshake/hug amongst themselves or with anyone else. All are advised to follow strict social distancing measures and maintain a minimum distance of 1 metre amongst them at all times.

The customers and delivery staff are advised to strictly adhere to the social distancing circles or markings laid down by the shopkeepers outside their shop. All should wait patiently for their turn and avoid crowding at all costs he added.He said that all the shop-owners, customers and delivery staff should meticulously wash their hands using the foot-operated hand washing stations, if available.

Alcohol-based sanitizer (minimum 70% ethyl alcohol v/v) should be mounted at the entrance wall of the shops for the shopkeeper and his/her workers as well as the customers to sanitize their hands before entering the premises further. The sanitizers are to be refilled/replaced frequently. Use a minimum of 3 ml of the sanitizer (approximately 2 pushes of sanitizer dispenser) on DRY HANDS for at least 30 seconds for good hygienic hand disinfection.

The shop-owners, customers and the delivery staff should not smoke or chew tobacco- based products such as gutka, pan masala etc. in the shop/marketplaces. In case of a cough/sneeze, the shopkeeper/customers/delivery staff should use the handkerchief to cover the face which shall then be kept in his/her own pocket/purse in a manner that the surface of the handkerchief exposed to the cough/sneeze shall not touch the other parts of the belongings directly.

In either case, the shopkeeper/customers/delivery staff should immediately hand wash with soap in the manner prescribed his hands/other exposed surfaces to cough/sneeze.The shopkeeper/customers/delivery staff should refrain from touching face, mouth, nose and eyes with his hands at all times.