RIL to continue to provide all essential services amid COVID-19 pandemic

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) on Wednesday said that in view of the COVID-19 pandemic it will "continue to provide all essential services required for public or business continuity".

"Considering the public requirements in such an unprecedented situation, RIL will continue to provide all essential services to the citizens and will keep open its main retail grocery stores, its telecom connectivity services, the hospital and any other essential services required for public or business continuity," RIL said in a release.

"To perform these essential services, RIL hopes to keep staff requirement to the minimum possible, and expects about 10 per cent of its staff to be deployed, on a rotation basis, as feasible," it added.

It further said: "The company lauds the 'ownership mindset' of employees and while it understands the need for some staff to be physically present for business-critical functions, it assures them that their safety at the workplace is the company's highest priority and all standards of sanitation and hygiene have been implemented including its entire emergency response infrastructure in a ready state."

RIL said that it has also made arrangements for work from home for its employees.

"Reliance Industries has initiated a work from home protocol for all its employees across the country and overseas in response to the evolving coronavirus situation. This protocol will be effective until March 31, 2020," it said.

"RIL will continue to monitor the situation and evaluate its response mechanisms on a real-time basis," it added.

The Ministry of Health on Wednesday said that the number of positive cases of coronavirus in the country has climbed to 151, including 25 foreign nationals.

Globally, the virus has infected nearly 185,000 people and killed more than 7500, as per the latest data available on the World Health Organisation website.