Civil servants entitled leave when their children require quarantine - PSD

The government has agreed to extend the quarantine leave facility to other infectious diseases requiring quarantine or isolation, effective March 4.

Public Service Department (PSD) director-general Mohd Shafiq Abdullah said that the facility had, previously, been limited to six types of infectious diseases - foot-hand-and-mouth disease, dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever, measles, diphtheria and malaria.

He said that the government has improved the facility by including other infectious diseases to the existing six diseases on the list, as acknowledged by government and private medical practitioners.

“To improve existing regulations in line with the government’s intention of emphasising on civil servants’ welfare and also to boost the quality, productivity and service delivery, the government agreed to the improvement of the quarantine leave facility,” Shafiq said in a circular dated March 4.

He said with the improvement, the name of the quarantine leave facility was amended to “leave to tend to quarantined children or those in need of isolation”.

According to the attachment included with the circular, it encompasses the parents’ children, stepchildren, de facto adopted children, adopted children and foster children.

PSD director-general Mohd Shafiq Abdullah

Shafiq said the duration of leave for this facility is the existing five-day maximum limit per case, or as long as the duration provided by any government or private medical practitioner, whichever is lower, subject to amendment, including weekly rest days, weekly off days and general public holidays.

“Those who require additional days can request for normal or special leave, as well as any other type of qualified leave.

“In addition, should the civil servants be able to carry out their assignments at home, the department head can consider allowing working from home,” the PSD circular states.

Shafiq said the improvement was extended to all state civil services, statutory bodies and local authorities, subject to their respective jurisdictions.

- Bernama