Ministry of Manpower issues employee travel guidelines for employers

IMPACT – HIGH

On March 16, The Ministry of Manpower issued guidelines for employers regarding employee travel.

MOM said:

• Employers should defer all non-essential work-related travel for employees.
• For essential work-related travel, employers must provide additional paid leave to affected employees to cover self-isolation and quarantine in the destination country, flight availability, obtaining re-entry approval from MOM, and mandatory self-isolation on returning to Singapore.
• Employers are to respect employee wishes to not travel and should not penalize employees for refusing to travel for work.
• Employers are to encourage employees to avoid all non-essential travel for personal reasons.

Analysis & Comments: Employers must be prepared for significant disruptions to employee mobility and should anticipate further restrictions and quarantine measures. Employers are advised to check MOM’s website for more information on non-essential travel. The response to the COVID-19 outbreak continues to develop, and Deloitte will provide additional updates as information becomes available.

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