EAC workers to work from home over Covid-19 fears

Arusha.The East African Community (EAC) will work from their respective homes for a couple days from Friday (today).

This is one of the measures taken by the regional organization to protect its workers from Covid-19 whose symptoms have been found on some of them.

Secretary General Peter Mathuki said on Wednesday that most of the staff members will work from home from Friday to Wednesday next week. “We are not closing. We will be working virtually away from the EAC headquarters for a couple of days,” he told The Citizen.

He said the decision was made by the management in order to enable those infected to recover as well as those not vaccinated to go for vaccinations and tests.

The measure would affect about 200 staff members working with the key organs at the EAC headquarters in Arusha.

These are the Secretariat, the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) and the East African Court of Justice (EACJ).

Dr Mathuki said during the six days, all rooms and other structures at the EAC head office will be fumigated and thoroughly cleaned up.

He added that the EAC staff are being encouraged to go for vaccinations and tests to establish their Covid-19 status.

He said the Tanzania government has availed vaccination service to the staff of the Community at Mt Meru Referral Hospital.

EAC has also tightened visits to its headquarters at the junction of Afrika Mashariki road and the EAC Close.

In doing so,all the suppliers would have to be paid online while visitors would have to fully comply with anti-virus measures before they are allowed in.

For some months last year after the first coronavirus cases were reported in the region,many staff members were forced to work from their homes.

The outbreak of the virus, nonetheless, enabled the regional body to vigorously adopt and use video conferencing for crucial meetings as well as for Eala sittings.