e-Paper
Employers must ensure that staff members work from home as far as possible, said the multi-ministry task force handling the coronavirus outbreak, as it turned its attention to securing workplaces.
Manpower Minister Josephine Teo said on Tuesday that her ministry is looking to increase potential penalties - including stop-work orders and fines - for firms which avoid implementing telecommuting.
"Employers must allow your employees to work from home as far as reasonably practicable. This applies to all workplaces regardless of size, and it should be for all times, all days, and not some times, some days," she said.
The Manpower Ministry estimates that only 40 per cent of workers in the Central Business District currently work from home.
The new measures on workplaces came as the task force noted the worrying trend of increasing local cases and stressed the importance of safe distancing to protect vulnerable groups like seniors, who are at a higher risk of becoming seriously ill when they are infected.
Among the linked cases, certain patterns have emerged, said Ministry of Health director of medical services Kenneth Mak. Many were linked by activities, including social gatherings, workplaces or being members of the same household, he said.
While making it clear the Government was taking a firm stand on the need for companies to implement telecommuting - which would ease the potential spread in workplaces and lower the number of people on public transport - Mrs Teo reassured firms that a "measured approach" will be taken when it comes to punishment meted out.
"It is not our intention to simply issue a stop-work order without considering the circumstances of the companies," she said. "We are looking for evidence that the companies have made serious attempts to implement stay-at-home telecommuting arrangements, but we are also mindful that this is not always possible."
At Tuesday's media conference, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong and Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, who co-chair the task force, also reiterated the need for Singaporeans to observe safe distancing measures, especially to protect vulnerable groups.
People should wash their hands before interacting with the elderly. If ill, they should not visit seniors, the ministers said.
The Straits Times
