As announced earlier by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry for Social and Family Development and the Early Childhood Development Agency, all students and staff who returned from overseas between 14 to 20 March 2020 will be placed on a mandatory 14-day Leave of Absence (LOA) from the date of return. The move was part of enhanced measures in schools, preschools and student care centres.
In anticipation of the effects the national measure may have on parents who need to care for their children, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) encourages all employers to impose a Leave of Absence (LOA) for all employees returning to Singapore between 14 to 20 March 2020 if they have not been issued with a Stay-Home Notice (SHN).
To support this, MOM will allow employers and self-employed persons (SEPs) to claim $100 daily support for such company-imposed LOA (company-LOA) under the Leave of Absence Support Programme (LOASP).
All travellers who enter Singapore from 20 March 2020, 2359 hours, will be issued a 14-day SHN. Companies who have already placed their employees on company-LOA should continue with their existing flexible work arrangements (FWA) or leave arrangements, including asking the employees to consume annual leave to cover the LOA.
For employers who have yet to implement such a policy and as a precautionary measure, MOM encourages them to impose a 14-day company-LOA on all employees who return from overseas travel between 14 to 20 March 2020.
During the company-LOA period, employers have been advised to adopt FWAs for employees to work from home. As the company-LOA may not have been discussed with employees prior to their travel, employers are encouraged to provide additional paid leave to the employees if work from home is not feasible.
MOM will extend the LOASP to employers who give employees additional paid leave who returned to Singapore between 14 March to 20 March 2020 to cover the company-LOA. SEPs will also be eligible if they have self-imposed LOA for 14 days.
Eligible employers will be able to apply for the $100 daily support per affected employee for the completed duration of the company-LOA. This applies to only employees who are Singapore citizens (SC), permanent residents (PR) and work pass holders. Eligible employers will also qualify for a levy waiver for affected work pass holders.
However, employers and self-employed SCs and PRs will not be eligible for the LOASP if:
- The work was performed remotely during the company-LOA period
- The affected employee was required to use his own annual leave, children leave, or other paid leave entitlements for the company-LOA period. (Exception: Employers who treated the company-LOA as part of the employee’s paid hospitalisation leave entitlements will be eligible to claim for the LOASP)
-The affected employee was placed on mandatory SHN upon return to Singapore, but the travel did not commence before the specified dates*.
*Travel to mainland China on or before 31 January 2020; to Daegu city or Cheongdo county in South Korea on or before 26 Feb 2020; to South Korea, Northern Italy, or Iran on or before 4 March 2020; to Italy, Spain, France or Germany on or before 15 March 2020; to ASEAN countries, Japan, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom on or before 16 March 2020; and to all other countries on or before 20 March 2020
Visit MOM’s Website for more details.
