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No doctor memo on Covid-19 recovery needed for people to return to work or school: Govt

SINGAPORE — Individuals who have recovered from Covid-19 will not require either a letter or a memo from their doctors to certify that this is so in order for them to return to work or school, said Singapore authorities on Saturday (Feb 5).

The authorities advised employers and employees to “familiarise themselves with the Covid-19 health protocols”.
The authorities advised employers and employees to “familiarise themselves with the Covid-19 health protocols”.
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  • Employees or students who have recovered from Covid-19 will not require a memo or letter from their doctor to return to work or school
  • The authorities said general practitioner clinics have seen a surge in the number of Covid-19 patients with mild or no symptoms requesting for one
  • The authorities said such visits are not necessary and risk compromising the standard of care for other patients who genuinely require medical attention

SINGAPORE — Individuals who have recovered from Covid-19 will not require either a letter or a memo from their doctors to certify that this is so in order for them to return to work or school, Singapore authorities said on Saturday (Feb 5).

In a joint statement, the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministry of Manpower and the Early Childhood Development Agency noted that general practitioner clinics have reported a surge in the number of patients they see, with many with no or mild symptoms visiting clinics just to obtain a letter or memo certifying they have recovered from Covid-19 infection.

“These visits are not necessary and risk compromising the standard of care for other patients who genuinely require medical attention,” they said.

The authorities also advised employers and employees to “familiarise themselves with the Covid-19 health protocols”.

Currently, persons who have tested positive for Covid-19 infections with an antigen rapid test are to self-isolate at home for at least 72 hours.

If they are well, they may exit isolation to resume normal activities once they test negative on their self-administered tests.

“They do not need a letter or memo from doctors to certify they have recovered from Covid-19 in order to return to work or to school, including preschool and institutes of higher learning,” said the authorities.

Employers are also not to ask their employees for a recovery memo from their doctors upon their return to work, the authorities said.

Nevertheless, employees who test positive for the coronavirus — either through a self-administered test or at a general practitioner’s clinic — should immediately inform their employers and not return to the office. This will help stop the virus from spreading, said the authorities.

The authorities added that Protocol 2 cases should be allowed to work from home if they are able to do so.

Protocol 2 cases are individuals who are well and have tested positive for Covid-19, or have been assessed by a doctor to have a mild condition.

However, if they are unable to work from home, employers should “treat the period of absence as paid sick leave without requiring a medical certificate from the employees”.

Employees who are on Protocol 2 may self-administer the antigen rapid tests after at least 72 hours of isolation.

If they are feeling well and test negative, employers should allow them to return to the workplace without requiring any further recovery memo or medical assessment from a doctor.

“Sharing of the self-test antigen rapid test results or on-site antigen rapid test administration can serve as alternatives,” the authorities said.

As for students and school staff who contracted Covid-19, or are issued with a stay-home notice or health risk warning, the authorities said they will also not be required to obtain a recovery memo from their doctors before they return to school.

This applies to students and staff in preschools, early intervention centres, kindergartens under the MOE, primary and secondary schools, special education schools, junior colleges, Millennia Institute, as well as institutes of higher learning.

“To ensure a safer learning environment for everyone, it is important that we all exercise personal responsibility to monitor our own health and the health of our children and family members closely,” said the authorities.

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Covid-19 Ministry of Health Ministry of Education manpower(19506)

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