This section will be updated regularly.
First published on: 18/04/2020
Last updated on: 18.04.2020

---

AIGA as lead association in the Asia Region for promoting health and safety, has been playing its role during this major outbreak of COVID-19 Pandemic, by sharing information with members and National Associations on the outbreak from WHO and other reliable sources, various measures taken by other Regional Gas Industry Associations, publish multiple guidelines and safety posters relevant for gas industry in the current situation, provide guidance to Members, Asia National Associations and others. AIGA is also sharing the learning by its members and National Associations in gas industry about the various steps and best practices being followed by some of them.

How AIGA supports our industry to continue to save lives during the current crisis:

• Business continuity during the time of Pandemic is quite a challenge as supplies of medicinal gases to hospitals and other critical user group to continue uninterrupted. AIGA published a Safety Bulletin 02/20, Influenza and Coronavirus Pandemic Preparedness in this regard.
• With Covid-19, a lot of people are now required to handle medical gas cylinders and other packages for supplying medical gases to healthcare facilities. It has thrown up challenges of preventing infection to Drivers, Cylinder Handlers, Cylinder Fillers and others who are not only doing the manufacturing activities and supply but also in collection of the empty cylinders & gas packages for re-filling.
• AIGA issued a revised publication AIGA 077/20, “Guidelines for Handling Externally Contaminated Medical Cylinders in Pandemic Situation” and also a harmonized publication AIGA 105/19, “Guidelines for Cleaning Externally Contaminated Medical Gas Containers” both for general guidelines to observe in handling and external cleaning of cylinders & gas packages during a Pandemic.
• A more specific publication of how to safely handle and disinfect the empty cylinders collected from hospitals during the current novel coronavirus outbreak as SB 021/20- “Covid-19: Measures to Disinfect Externally Contaminated Gas Packages”.
• AIGA has also released a Safety Poster SP 08/20 what provides in simple language the key steps and precaution to be taken while disinfecting medical gas cylinders during the time of Covid-19.
• AIGA is providing encouragement and support to National Associations for translating the above publications in their local languages for ease of understanding by people on the shop floor and in the field.

Technical Committee and Medical Gases Work Group are reviewing the situations from time to time and determining any further action required that could help the gas industry in this time of Pandemic outbreak.

AIGA Board has appreciated effort by Industrial Gases Industry in Asia in meeting the demands of medical Oxygen and other medicinal gases during this challenging time of Covid 19 outbreak that has spread to nearly all countries in Asia and World.

AIGA meetings are now changed to Net Meeting and AIGA Staff are shifted to working from home.

We wish you and your families to be safe and in good health in these difficult times.