Amid reports of thousands of daily wage earners leaving for their homes, towns and villages due to a 21-day countrywide lockdown called by the Centre, the Gautam Buddh Nagar district administration in an order passed late on Saturday night, said that 28 days of paid leave will  be given by the employers to the workers or employees infected with coronavirus, undergoing  isolation for treatment, across Noida and Greater Noida.

The district administration also announced that shops, industries and factories closed because of the lockdown will have to give daily wage along with leave to their workers and labourers during the closure period.

Gautam Buddh Nagar District Magistrate B N Singh said the Uttar Pradesh government has already declared the pandemic as a “disaster” and the lockdown has been called with an objective to contain the virus from spreading.

“Workers and employees who are infected with COVID-19 and kept in isolation for treatment will get 28 days’ paid leave. This will be done only when such patients produce a certificate of treatment to their employers upon being discharged as healthy,” Singh said.

“All such shops, commercial facilities and factories, which have been closed temporarily because of the order of the state government or the district administration, will provide paid leave to their workers and labourers for the duration of the closure,” the order read.

The arrangement should be made by such establishments to dole out the payments to their workers and labourers on March 30 and 31 or April 3 and 4, depending on their situation to make the payment, the order stated.

Singh said he has invoked the powers vested in him as the district magistrate under the National Disaster Management Act 2005 to issue this order and any violation of it would attract legal action against the offender.

According to the order, action would be taken against the offender under Section 51 of the Act which provides for one year of imprisonment or financial penalty or both and two years of jail if violation of the order causes any loss to life or property.

People can use the administration’s integrated control room number (0120-2544700) to report any related violation.

The Health Department said, Gautam Buddh Nagar has recorded 26 cases of coronavirus of which four patients have been treated and discharged till Saturday.

Earlier, the DM of Gautam Buddha Nagar had ordered on Saturday, to take rent only after a month from the tenants stranded in the district due to the nationwide 21-day lockdown in view of novel coronavirus.

Taking it to Twitter, Noida District Magistrate BN Singh shared an advisory mentioning about the order.

“Order by which Landlords in Gautambuddhanagar can take rent from workers (tenants) only after a month. No exodus of workers on rent ground will be allowed in present circumstances. Please ensure and cooperate,” he tweeted attaching the government’s advisory.

The order also mentioned about the punishment clause as it said those landlords found violating can be sent to imprisonment for up to 1 year or imposed with a penalty or both.

If in case, there is any casualty then imprisonment can be extended for up to two years.

The development came a day after the DM had urged the landlords not to compel their tenants to pay the rent right now.

“Dear Residents of Gautambuddhanagar: if you are a landlord then don’t compel your tenants to pay the rent right now. In case you feel that he doesn’t have money to pay rent allow him. We have to tide over till the issue remains,” he said in a tweet.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on March 24 announced 21-day lockdown from March 25. Many are stranded away from their homes amid the lockdown.

Recently, the UP government has also announced 1000 buses to ferry stranded workers in border districts to back home.