The state of alert established on May 15 nationwide in the epidemiological context generated by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has led to the implementation of preventive and control measures outlined in Emergency Ordinance No. 24/2020.

The main provisions of the regulatory act are as follows:

1. In commercial spaces, public transport, workplaces, and other enclosed areas, the wearing of masks is mandatory, ensuring that the nose and mouth are covered.

2. Employers are required to organize their activities so that work is conducted from the employees’ homes. If this is not possible, they must take measures to:
a) ensure epidemiological triage by checking the temperature of their staff and visitors at access control points;
b) mandate hand disinfection before entering the workspaces;
c) adhere to rules regarding activities in shared office spaces (open spaces) and regulations concerning the operation of accommodation units in hotel mode;
d) stagger work schedules for entities with more than 50 employees, ensuring that the start and end of work shifts occur at intervals of at least 1 hour, over a minimum of 3 hours, in shifts of at least 20% of the staff.

3. Economic operators engaged in commercial activities/open to the public, which involve access to indoor spaces, must take measures to organize their activities as follows:
a) Access must be organized to ensure a minimum area of 4 square meters per client/person and a minimum distance of 2 meters between any two individuals;
b) They must not allow entry to individuals whose body temperature, measured at the entrance, exceeds 37.3°C;
c) They must ensure the disinfection of exposed surfaces and avoid crowding, especially in areas such as cash registers/counters.

Additionally, during the state of alert, employers must implement several measures outlined in Order No. 3577/831/2020 to ensure the continuation of activities at the workplace in conditions of security and occupational health.

The most important measures that employers must implement to conduct activities at the workplace include:

1. Retraining all employees who stayed at home during the state of emergency, technical unemployment, telework, etc., in occupational health and safety. This retraining must be adapted to the new risks and will take place during employees’ normal working hours.

2. Workers’ representatives with specific responsibilities in occupational health and safety have the right to appropriate training concerning the new risks posed by SARS-CoV-2 infection.

3. Establishing activities that can be continued and/or adapted, depending on their specifics and available resources, and implementing the necessary measures for resuming and/or maintaining activities while respecting measures to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2, including teleworking or working from home, which can remain a priority.

4. Identifying specific risks related to epidemiological contamination conditions and updating the risk assessment document for employees’ health and safety based on the new working conditions to take necessary measures to combat the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

5. Establishing consultations with employee representatives responsible for occupational health and safety, and, if applicable, with members of the Occupational Safety and Health Committee.

6. Displaying mandatory conduct rules at the entrance and in the most visible places within the unit for employees and all persons entering the employer’s organized space.

7. Informing employees, primarily through electronic means, about the risks of infection and the spread of the virus, about protection measures, and about social distancing rules applicable within the unit, as well as about rules for managing situations in which employees or other individuals with access to the workplace show symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

To learn about all the obligations of employers for conducting activities during the state of alert, download Smart Update May No. 2 2020 and share it with your colleagues.