Government workers will report to work tomorrow and working hours are from 9 am to 3pm for the next two weeks.
This follows the relaxing of the State of Emergency Orders downgraded to level 2.
According to a notice posted by the Public Service Commission and endorsed by the Chair, Lauano Vaosa Epa, all the Chief Executive Officers are to make necessary roster arrangements to have all staff return to work with the exception of those who have tested positive for COVID-19.
“These affected workers must comply with all health requirements and must be authorized by the responsible CEO prior to returning to the workplace. Workers in the high-risk category must also consult with their respective CEOs on conditions of either returning to work safely or temporarily working from home as necessary.”
Lauano says the CEO’s should follow their continuity plans to ensure that the delivery of services, as per your Agency mandates are not disrupted.
Also, Government staff who are not working onsite due to caring for children due to school closure, or caring for immediate family members who have tested positive for COVID-19 are considered to be working from home.
The working hours as per our Level 2 conditions in the Guidelines, from 9 am – 3 pm, for the next two weeks and the change in working hours does not apply to Essential Services;
“All Agencies must continue to observe proper hygiene practices, respiratory etiquettes and social distancing in work places, with the continuing to practice the mandatory wearing of facial masks, showing of vaccination cards, as well as maintaining a proper record of external visitors to the Office to enable contact tracing, where and if required.”
As a further precaution, currently, arrangements have been made for some government offices to conduct rapid antigen tests (RAT) for all employees prior to entering the workplace and depending on the availability of testing kits from the Ministry of Health, as well as trained officials to administer the tests, other government Offices are encouraged to put in place similar arrangements to ensure the safety of staff.
Lauano also made it clear that Cabinet’s decision is that no adjustments should be made to an employees’ salary and entitlements (e.g., leave) as a result of the above changes.
