SHARJAH — The Hamriyah Free Zone Authority (HFZA) has recently announced that all the preparations and procedures for the return of 50% of its employees to offices have been completed following the implementation of the precautionary measures to provide a safe and healthy workplace amid COVID-19 pandemic. And in response to the directives of the Sharjah Executive Council, HFZA has taken all the preventive and precautionary measures, in terms of implementing the physical distancing between the employees, preparing offices, and identifying the number of visitors to ensure the safety of everyone, as well as conducting medical examinations for the returning employees. A healthy workplace Saud Salim Al-Mazrouei, director of HFZA, affirmed the Authority’s keenness to support the strenuous efforts made by the country in general and Sharjah government, in particular, to counter COVID-19, pointing to the Authority’s commitment to implementing all the stringent measures that ensure safety and protection from this pandemic, in line with the wise directives of Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, member of the UAE Supreme Council and ruler of Sharjah, and within the comprehensive plan for the gradual return to normal life in the Emirate of Sharjah. Al-Mazrouei added: “HFZA has adopted a lot of precautionary and preventive measures to create a healthy work environment. This includes the sterilization of the head office and its facilities and preparation of COVID-19 related circulars in accordance with the directives of the competent governmental authorities, in addition to raising employees’ awareness about the important guidelines they have to follow upon returning to the office.” “We’ve also applied all the precautionary measures related to the physical distancing, distributing face masks and gloves to all units and departments, installing thermal cameras and devices to measure the temperature of employees and visitors, and dedicating special rooms to isolate suspected cases,” he noted. In the same vein, Al-Mazrouei underlined the Authority’s commitment to the decisions of the Directorate of Human Resources in terms of excluding pregnant women, employees with disabilities, and those with chronic and immunodeficiency diseases from returning to work, according to approved medical reports. Instead, the said categories will continue to work remotely, in addition to the employees aged 60 years and above. Al-Mazrouei commended the great response of the employees to the health and safety measures taken by the Authority and their ability to shoulder responsibilities in maintaining the safety of the work environment in accordance with the best standards, as well as working at the same pace to achieve HFZA’s strategic goals.— SG