CURRENT SITUATION
As of today, March 24, 2020, 08.30 am Indian Time, a total of 499 confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported from 27 States/Union Territories across India with 10 deaths. Kerala state tops the list with 95 cases followed by Maharashtra state (87 cases). New Delhi has reported 31 cases and Mumbai has confirmed 24 cases.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the country is in the second phase of transmission, i.e. local transmission. Positively, there is currently no sign of community transmission, which is the third stage of the epidemic.
On social media, reports are piling up of state-run quarantine health facilities in India with multiple people forced to share rooms and dormitories. This has raised concerns that these kinds of unsanitary conditions could actually accelerate the spread of the virus.
Poor conditions in facilities are also pushing people to avoid quarantine. This is worrying because it could put more lives at risk and lead to widespread panic. For example, it was reported that more than 10 travellers returning from Dubai, who were showing symptoms of COVID-19, fled a hospital in Mumbai while they were awaiting test results. In one high-profile case, a Bollywood singer who tested positive for COVID-19 reportedly ignored authorities’ advice to self-quarantine and attended public events attended by politicians, according to media reports.
There have been reports of patients breaking into quarantine facilities, prompting a frantic manhunt by health and law enforcement officials that has since forced efforts to track down people they may have come into contact with.
The Task Force Octagona is available to support free of charge all Italian companies that intend to receive suggestions and information to manage this complex phase on Indian territory.
THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE
30 states and union territories, including New Delhi, have been put under lockdown till March 31, 2020. The focus is on closing all activities except essential services like hospitals, telecom, pharmacies, provision shops.
Since March 22, PM Modi has called for voluntary self-quarantine by the entire population, from 7 am to 9 pm, urging people to stay at home except those employed in essential services, implementing guided social distancing interventions.
All schools, universities, public places like clubs, malls, cinemas, restaurants, gyms, health clubs have been closed. Banks and delivery service companies are operating but with very limited timeframes and with very limited staff.
In consultation with medical professionals, a detailed advisory has been issued to all healthcare facilities to avoid non-urgent admissions and minimize surgical interventions.
Complete ban on international commercial passenger flights from any airport in India, effective from March 22, 2020 until further notice. From March 25 to March 31, all domestic flights are also suspended, as are all rail services, including suburban trains, metro rail services and inter-state passenger transport.
Freight trains may continue to operate to facilitate the availability of essential goods. These restrictions are temporary, but considered essential to break the chain of transmission.
The states have been asked to ensure that while adopting such measures, necessary measures must be ensured to minimize the hardship on the poor and vulnerable sections of the society. Furthermore, the government, both at the federal and state levels, has urged private companies and establishments not to deduct salaries or stop work at any level to avoid a possible recession caused by the epidemic.
THE OPERATIONAL RESPONSE OF OCTAGONA INDIA
Octagona India, Indian subsidiary of Octagona srl (knowledge partner of the Indian Embassy in Italy), with its offices in New Delhi, Pune, Bangalore and staff in Mumbai and Chennai, has decided to implement the new ministerial provisions with effect from Friday, March 20, 2020 until further notice. The health and safety of Octagona India employees and our customers is of primary importance to us and we do not want to take any risks, aiming to ensure the safety of all those involved.
Even before the government mandates, we at Octagona India had decided to avoid external contact in our offices; hence, avoiding any meetings with external guests and banning all travel by our employees. In order to ensure continuity of operations, Octagona India has ensured that every employee is equipped with the necessary tools to continue working safely from home by providing laptops, internet and mobile connectivity. Using cloud technology, we have stored all our official documents in a certified cloud, so that they are accessible to all employees for sharing, editing and archiving. Even in remote working mode, we are disciplined to observe our standard working hours to ensure that we are present for our clients when needed.
LATEST NEWS
Some points were announced on the afternoon of 24/03 by the Indian Finance Minister. At the moment, there is no direct support for companies in terms of employee management.
Income Tax payments:
Deadline for filing of business income tax returns extended to June 30, 2020. No extension, but in case of late filing of TDS, only a reduced interest rate of 9% will be charged till June 30 (current rate is 18%).
GST (Indian VAT) payments:
The last date for GST payments for March-April-May has been extended till June 30. Businesses with a turnover of less than INR 50 million (EUR 625,000), will not have to pay interest, late fees or penalties, however, for larger businesses, late fees and penalties will not be charged, but interest will be collected at a reduced rate of 9%.
Other announcements:
– The deadline for many deeds and schemes including Vivad Se Vishwas, Sabka Vishwas Scheme has been extended to June 30, 2020.
– Customs will be open 24/7 until June 30, 2020
– The deadline for auditing companies is moved to the year 2020-21.
– The limits under the Bankruptcy Act (IBC Section 7,9,10) have been raised with the threshold for default being moved to Rs 10 million (just over €120,000).
– Bank fees are reduced on all digital transactions for all commercial and financial players.
OCTAGONA'S SUGGESTIONS
Below is a list of key points that we suggest to implement with immediate effect to all our clients and Italian companies present in India:
– For those companies that have not yet declared that they are working in smart working, it is essential to proceed immediately by implementing the specific policy.
– Ensure that all employees are equipped with all the tools they need to carry out their daily activities from their homes, using mobile, Skype or cloud-based conference calls.
– Inform all customers, suppliers and other interested parties about the work carried out in smart working mode and its impact on daily activities.
– Ensure delegation of business continuity powers on key issues (such as banking, liaising with authorities and communicating with key customers/suppliers).
– Create a task force that can communicate in a timely manner on all important issues external and internal to the company and that is authorized to make decisions on the matter.
– Build an operational plan for managing the crisis, evaluating any support measures that could be presented by the Indian Government in the coming days or, alternatively, provide a practical approach to reducing local operations.
The Task Force Octagona is available to support free of charge all Italian companies that intend to receive suggestions and information to manage this complex phase on Indian territory.
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