Just two hours after the Ministry of Health confirmed the first human-to-human transmission cases of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, tripartite partners have responded with a general advisory for workplaces and frontline workers.
Released by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Manpower, NTUC, and the Singapore National Employers Federation on 4 February 2020, the advisory contains additional precautionary measures employers and employees are advised to take as they continue their business operations.
The additional measures include stepping up cleaning of workplace premises, guidelines on serving unwell customers, and the precautionary measures for employees.
According to the advisory, areas that have high human contact should be cleaned more frequently. Examples are counters that are used to serve customers and rooms that host visitors.
Lifts, pantries and toilets should also be cleaned more frequently. The advisory also called for employers to adopt the sanitation and hygiene advisories by the National Environment Agency.
Employers should also establish clear guidelines on how frontline staff should handle unwell customers. For example, frontline workers can advise customers who are ill to visit the doctor or ask them to reschedule their appointment or be served through alternative means such as teleconferencing.
However, if there is an urgent need to serve unwell customers, employers are advised to establish proper procedures to protect their workers. Examples of these could be having the worker wear surgical masks and serving the customers separate from other customers.
The advisory also advised employees to observe proper hygiene, monitor their temperature regularly and washing their hands with soap.
As far as possible, employees should avoid close contact with unwell people. And in the case the employee feels ill, he or she should stay away from the workplace, wear a mask, and visit a doctor.
The tripartite partners had also previously worked together to put in place measures for the workplace.
Examples include employers obtaining health and travel declaration from employees on whether they have visited or intend to visit China.
Another measure put in place previously was to urge employers and employees to comply with a 14-day Leave of Absence for employees who have travelled to China.
