SDHR outlines new government prevention measures

The Director of the Human Resources Systems Department, Counsellor Haitham Khaled Shuhail Al-Qahtani, provided the details of Circular No. (21) of 2022, which requires adherence to the following precautionary measures when entering government departments, bodies, and institutions in the Sharjah Government, in a telephone interview via Sharjah Radio's Direct Line programme:

Firstly: Those who have received two doses of any (Covid-19) vaccination approved in the country, as well as supporting and boosting doses, are permitted to access government entities, as long as they can demonstrate this through Alhosn App, taking into account the following regulations:

1. All employees and customers who have received two doses of any COVID-19 vaccine approved in the country, as well as supporting and boosting doses, are required to submit negative result of laboratory test (PCR) result within fourteen (14) days.

2. All unvaccinated employees and customers who have not received the supporting dose (according to applying health precautions related to social distancing among employees. The Ministry of Health and Community Protection's system), or who have received only a single dose, or who are members of groups excluded from vaccination, are required to undergo a laboratory examination (PCR) within (7) days and they should provide a negative result. 

3. Those who breach Clauses (1) and (2) are prohibited from accessing the government organisation. The employee is deemed to be out of work and is required to present justifications, provided that those justifications are subject to review by the entity's competent authority. If the excuses are accepted, the absence period will be deducted from his annual leave balance. If the excuses are rejected, the period is considered an interruption from work, and the job discipline system specified in Executive Regulation No. (12) for the year 2021 of Human Resources Law No. (6) for the year 2015 AD governing human resources in the Emirate of Sharjah is applied.

4. The job disciplinary system shall be implemented to any employee who breaches the instructions included in this circular or falsifies examination results in order to gain admission to government departments, bodies, or institutions within the Sharjah Government.
5. In some instances, and with the consent of the competent authorities, the test result may be presented on paper.

Secondly: Government entities must implement a series of precautionary and preventive measures to safeguard public health on in the workplace that comply to the following controls and regulations:

1. Encouraging staff to follow preventative and personal hygiene guidelines.

2. Applying health precautions related to social distancing among employees.

3. Employees and customers must wear a face mask when accessing the government entity's headquarters and in public areas of the workplace.

4. Not to report to work if experiencing symptoms of infectious disease such as a cough or cold, and to provide proof of this from medical treatment parties, provided that required remedial steps are done in health facilities.

5. Commit to sanitising public and common facilities and areas in the workplace in accordance with the country's rules for cleanliness, sterilization, and public health.

Thirdly: If employees break the precautionary measures for Covid-19, Executive Council Resolution No. (35) for the year 2020 AD regarding violations of the precautionary measures to combat (Covid-19) should be implemented.

Preventive and precautionary actions shall be performed in the event that an employee becomes infected with the epidemic (Covid-19) or comes into contact with an infected individual, in line with the following regulations:

1. The employee who is infected with the (Covid-19) pandemic, or who exhibits symptoms, or whose examination results are positive, is required to comply with the approved treatment and quarantine mechanisms established by the relevant health authorities, and is regarded to be on sick leave.

2. Employees who come into contact with an infected individual outside of the workplace are subject to a ten-day home quarantine, provided that this period is deducted from the employee's accrued paid leave or is counted as unpaid leave.

Employees who come in contact with an infected individual at the workplace are subject to a ten-day home quarantine, which is treated as a remote work period and is not subtracted from the employee's leave balance, based on the employee's commitment to execute his job tasks.

Fourthly: All Sharjah government entities are mandated to post daily updates on the Sharjah government employees' monitoring portal.