Snap work-from-home rules for offices eased
Requirement enforced only if 3 staff test positive in 7 days; duration reduced
To the relief of businesses, a single random Covid-19 case in the workplace will no longer lead to an immediate, blanket 14-day work-from-home (WFH) requirement for all staff.
Starting tomorrow, a snap WFH regimen will be implemented only if three or more employees working in the same premises test positive for Covid-19 within a period of seven straight days.
The duration of enforced WFH - for workers who are able to work from home - will also be cut down to 10 days.
The WFH rules are aimed at curbing workplace transmission as the number of daily cases in Singapore increases, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
At the weekend, more than 1,000 cases were reported for two days in a row - the highest since April last year. Had a single case forced firms to get their employees to work from home for 14 days, it could have further hurt them.
The revised 10-day WFH period is in line with the quarantine period reduction - also from 14 to 10 days - for close contacts of positive Covid-19 cases.
The Ministry of Health had explained this was to account for the Delta variant's shorter incubation period of four days or less, on average.
The new snap WFH period will start on the day after the date of the latest positive test result of the third employee, said MOM.
It added that workers - including on-site contractors and vendors - who have been placed on snap WFH arrangements can return to the office for ad hoc reasons if they test negative via an antigen rapid test (ART). The test should be completed before they return and conducted not more than 24 hours before the end of their ad hoc return.
MOM said the new, shortened WFH duration aims to mitigate potential disruption to businesses. After its previous 14-day guideline was issued earlier this month, several business leaders said it could potentially hurt them, particularly in the face of a manpower crunch.
Yesterday, MOM urged employers and employees to be socially responsible and self-isolate if they are known to be close contacts of infected individuals.
"All affected employees are encouraged to monitor their health and administer ART self-swabs during the 10-day period at least twice a week, and before returning on site," it added.
MOM also advised employers to vacate and cordon off sections of the workplace where the confirmed cases worked, and to deep clean the premises.
MOM said companies should ensure adequate safe management measures remain in place.
These include having no more than 50 per cent of employees able to work from home be at the workplace at one time, and doing away with social gatherings at the office.
Meal breaks should be taken individually, start times staggered and flexible work hours allowed.
Last week, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said Singapore should brace itself for a major wave of infections and a surge in daily cases as a "rite of passage" to living with the virus.
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