PSC to scale down its operation to 50 per cent capacity to curb the spread of the Covid-19
Public Service Commission will from next week scale down its operations in a move aimed to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic within the Commission.
The commission secretary Simon Rotich yesterday issued a raft of precautionary measures in a memo to all staff that will ensure uninterrupted delivery of critical services.
“All PSC secretariat staff will with effect from Monday 29th March 2021 work on a rotational work shift schedule, up to the lapse of the 60 days containment timeline announced by His Excellency the President during his address to the Nation on Friday 12th March 2021,” read the memo.
The Commission will operate at 50% capacity as half of the staff have been directed to work from home beginning Monday next week.
The staff will work on a one to two-weeks shift in which they will alternate between the workplace and home in order to reduce crowding and unnecessary human contact that has been blamed for the spread of the virus across the country.
The commission added that official mails will be delivered at a designated desk at the entrance to the main reception lobby of the PSC building.
Directorates that provide support to the board’s decision-making processes and that offer critical services such as conducting selection interviews and recruitment of qualified persons in the public service will be expected to adopt exceptional working arrangements to ensure uninterrupted functioning of the commission and delivery of services.
Meetings will be conducted virtually through online platforms while in-person meetings will be restricted to not more than four persons, in line with the directives issued through the Head of Public Service Circular of July 20, 2020.
Critical supplies and services will continue, including daily cleaning and sanitizing of office furniture, equipment and surfaces.
Rotich clarified that owing to the strict adherence to the Covid-19 management and containment guidelines and protocols issued by the government, the Commission has not recorded any new cases of infection among staff other than those that were reported during the earlier wave that prompted a partial lockdown of the commission last year.
He encouraged staff to voluntarily present themselves for the free Covid-19 vaccination programme offered by the Ministry of Health.
