21 Jan 2022 – Government workers entitled to paid quarantine leaves – CSC

Robertzon Ramirez, Elizabeth Marcelo – The Philippine Star
January 21, 2022 | 12:00am

Government workers entitled to paid quarantine leaves � CSC

In a Memorandum Circular dated Jan. 18, the CSC said failure to report for work in instances that government employees are required to undergo isolation or treatment after getting infected with the virus or being identified as “close contacts of a suspect, probable or confirmed cases of COVID-19 while in the performance of their official functions” should be considered as excused absence.

MANILA, Philippines — The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has expanded its rule on paid “excused absences” to cover government workers who will be required to undergo quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 or for being a close contact of an infected person.

In a Memorandum Circular dated Jan. 18, the CSC said failure to report for work in instances that government employees are required to undergo isolation or treatment after getting infected with the virus or being identified as “close contacts of a suspect, probable or confirmed cases of COVID-19 while in the performance of their official functions” should be considered as excused absence.

“Excused absence refers to the period when a government worker is not obligated to go to work due to required quarantine period, but are entitled to pay,” the CSC said.

The commission said government workers may be required to adopt a work-from-home arrangement depending on the nature of their job.

No vacation leaves for BI employees
Meanwhile, Bureau of Immigration personnel at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) are prohibited from going on vacation until the end of the month amid the rising cases of COVID-19 among BI employees, an official said on Wednesday.

Port operations division chief Carlos Capulong said the policy started last Dec. 16, but was extended until Jan. 31 after more BI officers at the NAIA tested positive for the virus.

Capulong said the directive was necessary to ensure unhampered airport operations.

“No applications for leave will be approved to ensure that we have enough personnel to service the traveling public,” Capulong said.

Records showed that 138 BI personnel have contracted COVID-19 while another 129 are still on quarantine pending the results of their swab tests.

The BI has downgraded its office operations to 30 percent to avoid the spread of the virus.