Singapore to allow flexible working hours for people working in offices amid COVID-19

Authorities in Singapore are allowing more flexible working hours for those working from the office as public transport numbers increase. Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung has claimed that the number of people taking public transport has reached roughly 60 per cent of what it was during pre-COVID times, this surge in people using public transport applies for both peak as well as off-peak hours.

Singapore to allow flexible working hours

Singapore’s Transport Ministry has released guidelines wherein they state that employers must allow their employees to work from home during the morning and their employees can travel to the office during non-peak hours of the day. The government lifted certain restrictions from September 28 onwards and as a result, it has allowed more people to work from the office and thereby increasing the number of people using the public transport system.

Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung has added that employers should be flexible in changing their work habits in regards to the time and place of work. The Minister reiterated that by allowing workers to work from home and travel during off-peak hours, the transport system can transport more people and at the same time remain less crowded.

Read: Bill Gates Touts Monoclonal Antibodies Treatment As Effective Cure To COVID-19

Read: 'More Urgent Than Ever': UN Chief Stresses On Need For Health Coverage Amid COVID-19

While COVID norms such as wearing masks and maintaining social distance are still in place, Singapore’s government has given the go-ahead for work-related events such as meetings, training sessions, town halls, corporate retreats, tender briefings to vendors and business conferences, as well as onboarding or retrenchment exercises.

As per John Hopkins coronavirus resource centre, Singapore has reported more than 57,000 positive COVID-19 cases but only has a death toll of 27. The COVID-19 pandemic which saw its first outbreak in a wet market in Wuhan, China last year has now spread all across the world. The virus, named COVID-19 by the World Health Organisation, has infected over 36 million people worldwide with the global death toll crossing 1,000,000. The US has reported more than 7.6 million positive COVID-19 cases and a death toll of over 210,000.

Read: Sri Lanka Orders Closure Of Bars And Restaurants After Surge In COVID-19 Cases

Read: Singapore To Provide Financial Aid To Would-be Parents During COVID-19 Pandemic

(With ANI inputs, Image: Pixabay)