As part precautionary measures and preventative efforts under taken by Qatar to limit the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19), with a specific focus on the safety of all workers in Qatar, the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs (MADLSA), affirmed the responsibility of all employers to comply with the conditions and specifications for healthy and safe housing, so as to prevent the risk of infection or transmission.

The Ministry called on employers to implement the following procedures:

* Raising the awareness among workers (through various means) on measures on place at the enterprise and government levels, including the 16000 hotline to report suspected cases.

* Putting hand sanitizer at key places and providing workers with protective equipment that includes gloves, protective masks, and hand sanitizer.

* Constantly checking the body temperature of workers by a number of trained employees at the entrance of the residences.

* Division of working hours and meal times to reduce overcrowding upon departure and return and to limit movement in common spaces.

* Putting signs on the ground separating them for at least one meter inside the places designated for eating and other common places where the workers arrive in large numbers.

* Keeping seats at least one meter apart at the dining areas and at all the common areas.

* Providing services and facilities for workers to help them communicate with their families and friends without having to leave their place of residence.

The Ministry also affirmed that in implementation of Ministerial Decision No.18 of 2014 regarding the conditions and specifications for adequate housing for workers, the employer is obligated to the following:

* Paying attention to providing a healthy environment inside the housing by ensuring  the number of workers in the room are within the limits (not more than four workers as much as possible), and that a space of at least six meters is allocated between beds.

* The housing should be provided periodically with suitable disinfectants and detergents, and all rooms should be well ventilated.

* The housing should be provided with first aid kits, with medicines and antiseptics, in proportion to the number of workers residing in the housing.

* A specialized first aid officer to be appointed, or one of the workers residing in the residence should have received an accredited training in first aid to provide the necessary medical care in accordance with the aforementioned Ministerial Decision.

*It should be ensured that necessary means are available to dispose of housing and sewage waste in a healthy and regular manner.

* Workers should be appointed to clean the housing, and a there should be supervisor for each building of workers housing to supervise and guard the housing, inform the residents of the housing on health and safety, and notify the employer of the facilities and equipment for which periodic maintenance must be performed.

In the event of breaches of the occupational safety and health requirements in the housing, the applicable legal procedures will be applied, and the company's registration can be cancelled, the Ministry warned.

The Ministry has allocated the hotline 40280660 for inquiries and reporting violations of workers' housing requirements.