The Confederation of Indian Industry's Indian Green Buildings Council (CII - IGBC) has issued new guidelines for the post-lockdown reopening of buildings. The fresh guidelines presented as "IGBC Guidelines for Combating COVID-19 in Green Buildings", come in the light of Lockdown 5.0  & Unlock 1.0, with growing expectations of economic recovery in the second half of 2020. It provides comprehensive post lockdown strategies to manage people and workplaces.  

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"COVID-19 is changing the way organizations function and how offices are operated, maintained and managed. In these unusual times, green and healthy buildings have come out as part of the solutions to create a safer and more efficient built environment. Green and healthy buildings have become the need of the hour, for securing business continuity & Health, Hygiene, safety, and occupant well-being at organizations. CII’s IGBC is working to support the industry and all its stakeholders to create short term and long-term solutions, and in preparing businesses to adopt a new normal," CII’s IGBC said in a statement.

 Among other recommendations, the guidelines place great emphasis on methods of maintaining sanitisation and hygiene in the entire building, addressing related aspects of indoor air quality to purify the space, taking into account the role of equipment and technologies to make the interiors safer, detailed protocols for occupants and visitors for entering the premises and using the buildings, prioritising contamination control and reducing indoor emission, creating SOP’s for transit, managing & advocating best practices related to potable and drinking water quality and methods for handling medical emergencies related to Covid-19.

V Suresh, National Chairman of IGBC, speaking about the significance of the new guidelines, said, "With over two decades of experience and leadership in green buildings, CII’s IGBC is showing the way forward to help the country back to work in a phased, safer and greener manner. Many IT companies have already begun operating from their offices with reduced staff, while others have resorted to only critical functions operating from workplaces. It’s indeed a sensitive topic, and unless companies are able to allay the concerns for health, hygiene & safety of their employees, bringing them back-to-work will have to be done in a staggered manner."

"By implementing the IGBC guidelines, companies can enable their operations to function with adequate safety and improved health and well-being for their workforce. With that taken care of, the companies concentrate on measures to move towards a more fluid, networked environment that empowers each worker to connect with the people and resources they need to deliver new value and connected experiences," V Suresh added.